A passenger bus overturned on a road in Egypt’s South Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring 28 others, Egypt’s Health Ministry said.

Ten Jordanians were among those killed in the crash, according to Jordanian state television. Jordan’s official Al-Mamlaka channel reported that the bus was carrying 43 people, including 22 Jordanian nationals.

The accident occurred on the Dahab-Nuweiba road, which connects the popular tourist towns of Dahab and Nuweiba along the eastern coast of South Sinai.

Egyptian Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said 20 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to transport the injured to nearby medical facilities.

Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar ordered hospitals and other medical facilities in the area to increase their level of preparedness and ensure that injured passengers received the necessary medical treatment, medicines and medical supplies.

Authorities have not immediately disclosed the cause of the crash or provided further details about the circumstances surrounding the bus overturning.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in Egypt, where poor road conditions, speeding and other factors have frequently been cited as contributing to serious crashes.

According to Egypt’s state statistics agency, nearly 6,000 people were killed in road accidents across the country last year.

The latest crash comes less than a month after another major road accident in the northeastern governorate of Ismailia killed 18 people and injured 30 others, underscoring the continuing road safety challenges facing the country. (ILKHA)