Egypt bus crash kills 8 American tourists

Reporting from Beirut — A bus accident in southern Egypt on Sunday left eight American tourists dead and 21 injured, the official MENA news agency reported.

The bus was carrying 37 American tourists visiting ancient archeological sites when it slammed into a disabled truck parked along the roadside, MENA reported.

A statement posted to the website of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo said the staff was “deeply saddened by the traffic accident that has led to deaths and injuries among American tourists.”

MENA reported that helicopters had been dispatched to evacuate survivors of the crash. The embassy said “military transport” had been deployed to move the injured to the capital, Cairo, and has mobilized staff to help the Americans.

A police official told Agence France-Presse that six of those killed were women and four remained in critical condition.

Nearly 80 tourists aboard two other buses as part of the same tour group were unharmed, MENA said.

Motor vehicle accidents are a major cause of concern in Egypt. A group of French tourists were injured along the same two-lane southern Egypt roadway earlier this year.