Sixteen killed in South Sinai road crash in Egypt

Thirteen ambulances rushed to scene of accident between Suez and El Tor

Rescuers examine the site of the crash in South Sinai. EPA

Sixteen people have been killed and 18 injured in a crash involving a bus and a minibus on the road between Suez and El Tor in Egypt, its Health Ministry has said.

Thirteen ambulances attended the scene before taking the injured to hospitals in Tor Sinai and Sharm El Sheikh, officials said.

“The injuries ranged from fractures, abrasions, cut wounds and suspected concussion,” a statement said. “All the injured received treatment and the necessary medical care.”

The ministry attributed the accident to fog that reduced visibility on the motorway in the Sinai Peninsula.

Road accidents are frequent in Egypt, with dozens killed in a recent spate of crashes.

The World Health Organisation says about 12,000 people die on the roads in Egypt each year. Thousands are injured, with many injuries resulting in long-term disability, the WHO says.

“Unless addressed urgently, road traffic collisions will continue to increase to become one of the leading causes of death by 2030,” it warned in a report.

The WHO championed a 10-year road safety project that ended in 2020. It selected 10 countries with a high number of road crashes and helped them reduce tragic incidents. Egypt was the only country added to the initiative in the Middle East and North Africa region.

1.3 million deaths on roads

The project addressed speed management, improved the quality of roads and raised public awareness through effective social marketing campaigns.

About 1.3 million people are killed around the world each year in road accidents that also leave up to 50 million with non-fatal injuries, the WHO says.

More than half of those deaths and injuries involve vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and their passengers.