A bus carrying Egyptian soldiers crashed into a truck on a highway near the Mediterranean coast early Sunday, killing 16, a security official said.
The took place on the highway between Cairo and the port city of Alexandria as the soldiers were heading home from their military base in northwestern for a vacation to join their families during the holy month of Ramadan, the official said.
The official said the dead included 15 soldiers and a driver, while another 40 people were injured. They were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Road are common in due to badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, road kill about 12,000 people each year in a population of about 90 million.