Aswan (Egypt), Feb 18 (IANS): At least four Sudanese were killed and 46 others injured in a bus-truck accident in southern Egypt on Thursday, an official medical source said.

"The bus carrying Sudanese nationals, at Aswan-Abu Simbel road, has been hit from behind by a truck carrying construction materials," Chairman of Aswan Ambulance Authority Mohamed al-Diekhily told the Xinhua news agency.

The number of deaths may rise because several people are in serious conditions, he added.

Some 16 ambulances rushed to the scene, and the wounded have been transferred to Aswan Public Hospital.

Road accidents are common in Egypt due to broken roads, poor maintenance and high speed of the driver.

However, over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing existing ones to reduce traffic accidents.

In October last year, the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development said deaths from road accidents in the country dropped by 44 percent in 2019-2020.