![The bus overturned and caught on fire while on its way to Cairo [AFP]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/Egypt/2/3/4/bus-crash.jpg "The bus overturned and caught on fire while on its way to Cairo [AFP]") | | The bus overturned and caught on fire while on its way to Cairo [AFP] |
A bus carrying European and North American tourists in Egypt has crashed killing at least nine people and injuring 30.
The vehicle was travelling on a desert highway on the Sinai peninsula and about 70km from Suez on Thursday when it overturned and caught fire, a security official said.
The coach was travelling from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo, the capital, when it hit a concrete barrier, causing it to roll.
Diana Argentieri a tourist on the bus, told the Associated Press agency that most passengers had been asleep during the overnight trip, and woke when the coach rolled.
"After that, it was hell," she said.
Marks showing that the coach had skidded on a tight bend were found on the road. Mena, Egypt's news agency, said that the accident occurred at 6am [0300GMT]. Wounded passengers were taken to hospitals near Sharm el-Sheikh. Two Russians and a Ukrainian have been reported to be among the dead. A Canadian woman had to have a hand amputated, a hospital official said. Egyptian roads are considered highly dangerous with scores of people dying in crashes on them annually. Regulations are not fully enforced and vehicles badly cared for. About 60,000 people die and 30,000 are injured in road accidents in Egypt annually. Two coaches hit each other head on in March killing 23 people. An accident south of Cairo involving multiple vehicles killed 29 people in February.
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Tags: Egypt
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