Cairo: At least eight people were killed and 28 injured when a coach carrying European and North American tourists overturned and caught fire in Egypt's Sinai peninsula today, a security official said.

The coach, with 40 people on board, was travelling from the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo when a tyre burst about 70 miles south of Suez. The driver lost control and it flipped over and burst into flames.

Three of the dead were burnt beyond recognition. The official said the dead were "probably Canadian and British."

The injured include 13 Russians, four British, two Romanians, two Canadians, two Italians, a Ukrainian and three Egyptians.

They were all taken to hospitals near Sharm, and the official said three were in a serious condition, adding that a Canadian woman had to have a hand amputated.

In London the foreign office confirmed that Britons were involved in the accident but could not say how many or what their injuries were. A consular Representative is on the way to the scene, a spokesman said.

Each year about 6,000 people die and 30,000 are injured in road accidents in Egypt. In March, 23 people were killed when two trucks collided head on.
In February, 29 people were killed in a pile-up on a road south of Cairo in an accident that was blamed on fog.

Traffic regulations are often badly enforced and vehicles poorly maintained. Many coastal and desert roads allow for high speeds, and accidents caused by reckless overtaking are frequent.
Source : PTI