Car accident in Egypt's Sinai kills 2 Israeli tourists

A car accident in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Thursday killed two Israeli tourists and left five injured, the Israeli foreign ministry said.

According to the Israeli emergency services, the injured were transported to hospitals in Israel; none suffered life-threatening injuries.

Egypt's Sinai, particular its southern part, has for years been popular with Israeli tourists. They can travel to Sinai without a visa, unlike Egypt’s mainland. Traffic slowed due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, but this year looks set to be on par with those prior to the coronavirus outbreak. The peak season will continue through the summer.

The Israel Airports Authority says 1.4 million Israelis crossed into Sinai by car in 2019. The agency oversees the Taba crossing with Egypt. This year, more than 330,000 Israeli tourists crossed into Egypt by early June, the agency said.

Deadly traffic accidents claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt. In January, at least 16 people were killed 18 others were injured when a microbus collided with a public transportation bus in Sinai. An Egyptian government’s statistics agency says 7,101 people were killed by traffic accidents in Egypt last year.