The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 2
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NEED TO KNOW
- A bus crash in Egypt’s South Sinai Governorate killed at least 16 people and injured 28 others on Tuesday, Sept. 2
- The incident occurred on the road between Dahab and Nuweiba, two towns that both are popular with tourists for snorkeling and diving in the Red Sea
- Medical teams deployed 20 ambulances and are monitoring the injured, with some transferred to other hospitals
At least 16 people have died and a further 28 have been injured after a bus crashed in a popular tourist destination in Egypt.
The incident occurred on the road between the towns of Dahab and Nuweiba in South Sinai Governorate on Wednesday, Sept. 2, according to a Facebook statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Health.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, said 16 people died in the bus rollover incident and that 28 other passengers were injured and transferred to hospitals to “receive the necessary medical care.”
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He said medical teams are “continuously monitoring their health condition,” in the statement, translated from Arabic.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, a spokesperson for the ministry, said that 20 ambulances were deployed to the scene to assist those who had been injured.
The cause of the crash is currently unknown.
“The ministry confirms that all medical teams are working at full capacity to deal with the incident with utmost efficiency and speed, and the situation is being monitored moment by moment,” the post said.
“The Ministry of Health and Population extends its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to all those injured,” it added.
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The injured were originally taken to the Al-Mazina Family Medicine Center, but some have since been transferred to other hospitals, including Sharm El-Sheikh International, Al-Fayrouz Medical Complex and Saint Catherine, according to Sky News. The outlet, citing Jordan’s foreign ministry, reported that a number of Jordanians were on the bus, with initial information indicating that some were killed and injured.
The southern Sinai peninsula is a popular tourist destination, with many travelers visiting the region to snorkel and dive in the Red Sea, the outlet reported.
Dahab is around 53 miles north of Sharm El-Sheikh, which attracts 10 million visitors a year and is described as “one of Egypt’s most popular holiday resorts” by U.K. newspaper The Times.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further information.
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