EL-ARISH: Three Italian tourists died Friday when their minibus overturned on a coastal road in the Sinai Peninsula, police and hospital officials said.
Three other Italians and two Egyptians – the group s driver and the tourist guide – were injured in the late evening accident near the Red Sea resort of Dahab, 380 km southeast of Cairo, a police official said.
The police official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. He said the minibus was speeding at the time of the crash but that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the accident.
Ibrahim Ali, chief of South Sinai s medical emergency unit, said the injured were taken to the hospital in the nearby tourist resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. He said two of the five were in serious condition.
In Rome, the Italian foreign ministry confirmed the accident, saying that the Italians vehicle had overturned near Dahab. The ministry said two of the deceased were women while the third was a man. The victims names were not released.
No other details were immediately available. Italian embassy officials in Cairo could not be reached for comment.
Egypt has a history of serious bus and car crashes because of speeding and careless driving, widespread disrespect of traffic regulations, bad roads and poor vehicle maintenance. Police estimate that at least 6,000 people are killed and 30,000 injured every year in car accidents.
The Sinai is a frequent scene of traffic accidents. Twelve Israeli Arabs and an Egyptian were killed when their bus overturned in the peninsula in August 2006. More recently, in May, nine vacationers were killed and about 30 injured – including Russians, Canadians and east Europeans – in Sinai.-Associated Press Writer Marta Falconi in Rome contributed to this report.
