At least eight people were killed and four injured in a car crash in Egypt’s Nile Delta's Beheira governorate, Ahram Arabic news website reported, citing a security official.

The accident took place late on Wednesday on a desert road connecting the capital Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria when a truck slammed into a minibus travelling in the other direction after hitting another truck.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and the injuries include suspected brain hemorrhage, fractures, bruises and abrasions.

Provencal governor Hisham Amna and Beheira’s security chief Gamal Al-Rashidy visited the site of the crash and the injured at the hospital late on Wednesday.

Several news websites published images of the badly mangled minibus.

Road accidents are common in Egypt, often caused by reckless driving, lax traffic and badly maintained roads. The World Health Organization says traffic accidents result in nearly 12,000 deaths annually in Egypt.

Egypt’s official statistics agency CAPMAS says more than 11,000 road accidents took place in 2017.