33 killed, 41 injured as two buses collide in Egypt

Cairo: At least 33 people, including foreigners, were killed and 41 others injured today when two tourist buses collided on a highway near Sharm El-Sheikh resort in Egypt's South Sinai.

The two buses were carrying around 80 passengers, including foreign tourists, when they collided early this morning on the highway, 50 km from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing 33 people, officials said.

The death toll could increase, said Mohamed Lashin, Health Ministry Undersecretary in South Sinai. Lashin said that bodies are currently being extracted from the rubble before a final death toll is determined.

Thirty ambulances were rushed to the scene of the accident. Egypt has one of the world's highest traffic accident rates due to careless driving, road and vehicle conditions which leads to death and injury of thousands every year.

A recent report by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics said there were 15,578 car accidents in Egypt in 2013, up 0.4 per cent from the year before, which claimed the lives of 6,716 people and injured 22,411 others.