A multi-car pileup near Alexandria on Saturday killed eight people and injured another seven, reported Al-Ahram Arabic news website. 

The accident involved two trucks, a truck trailer, and a microbus, and took place 54 kilometres west of Alexandria on the Alexandria desert highway.

Egypt has the highest rate of road accidents and related deaths in the Middle East, with an average of 12,000 people killed annually according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Road accidents are one of the main causes of death in Egypt.

Last month, the transportation minister announced that the ministry has started working on 15 new road projects across Egypt which will cover 1,200km of roads at a cost of LE17 billion.