UPDATE - 22 killed, 33 injured in Egypt vehicle crash

ADDS TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY'S STATEMENT

By Yakut Dandashi

ANKARA (AA) - At least 22 people were killed and 33 injured Tuesday in a vehicle crash in southern Egypt, according to media reports.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry offered condolences for the crash.

"We wish God's mercy on those who lost their lives in the accident, our condolences to their families and brotherly Egyptian people and state, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," it said.

A passenger bus hit a trailer truck on Desert Road in Minya province, said the Youm7 news portal.

Authorities said the accident occurred when the bus with 45 passengers aboard rear-ended the truck, which was changing one of its tires in the city of Malawi, about 220 kilometers (137 miles) south of Cairo.

Ambulances rushed to the scene to transfer the injured to hospitals.

Egypt has a poor transportation record despite government efforts to improve the country’s road network.

According to the state statistics agency CAPMAS, Egypt recorded 56,789 deaths and 6,164 injuries from road accidents in 2020.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat