CAIRO — Twenty people were killed and three others injured when a passenger bus collided with a truck on Asyut-Red Sea highway in Egypt, it was reported here Wednesday.

Asyut governorate authorities said, in a statement, that they rushed 25 ambulances to pick the dead and transport the injured to hospitals, noting that the injured will receive the best service.

The bus overturned while trying to pass a truck on Asyut-Red Sea highway in southern Egypt on Tuesday, causing the collision, authorities said.

The bus was traveling from Cairo when it turned over and was hit by the truck on a road in the southern province, Asyut governorate said in a statement. Both vehicles caught fire, it added.

Photos released by the governor’s office showed a burned out bus, with rescue teams looking for survivors. The victims were taken to nearby hospitals, the statement said.

Traffic accidents kill thousands every year in Egypt. Crashes are mostly caused by speeding, bad roads or poor enforcement of traffic laws.

The country’s official statistics agency says around 10,000 road accidents took place in 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, leaving over 3,480 dead. In 2018, there were 8,480 car accidents, causing over 3,080 deaths. — Agencies