NNA News - At least 16 people were killed and 28 others injured on Wednesday after a passenger bus overturned on the Dahab-Nuweiba road in Egypt's South Sinai province, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population.

The ministry said the crash occurred before the Al-Saada area in the direction of Nuweiba. Twenty ambulances were dispatched to the scene after the ministry's central operations room was activated. The injured passengers were evacuated and taken for medical treatment, with medical teams continuing to monitor their conditions.

Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the emergency response was activated immediately after authorities received the report. “Immediately after receiving the report, the central operations room was activated, and 20 ambulances were directed to the accident site to evacuate the injured and provide first aid,” he said. The ministry said the initial assessment recorded 28 injured passengers, while 16 people died at the scene. Authorities were undertaking the necessary official procedures concerning those who died.

Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar was following the medical response and directed authorities to provide the injured with the necessary emergency and medical care, including medicines and other supplies. He also instructed health authorities to maintain coordination with officials in South Sinai. The ministry said its medical teams were working at full capacity to respond to the incident and that the situation was being monitored continuously.

The cause of the crash had not been established in the initial reports, while authorities had not immediately released the identities or nationalities of those killed and injured. The accident occurred on a road connecting Dahab and Nuweiba, two Red Sea coastal towns in South Sinai. The area is popular with tourists, although authorities had not indicated whether the passengers involved in the crash were tourists.

The latest incident comes amid continuing concerns over road safety in Egypt. A separate road accident in the country last month also resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. The Egyptian Health Ministry expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished those injured a speedy recovery.