Twenty people were killed and five injured when a microbus crashed into a truck on Egypt's El-Kureimat road on Friday evening, said Mohamed Gad, head of Egypt’s Ambulance Authority, in TV statements late on the same day.

The injured were taken to Beni Suef General Hospital, Gad told El-Hekaya TV show on MBC Misr over the phone.

He said due to "traffic diversion," the road was two-way. Congestion resulting from the accident delayed the arrival of the first ambulance vehicle, which was only 6km away, for 14 minutes, he added.

An eyewitness said the truck's tire exploded, leading it to crash into the microbus that was travelling in the opposite direction, Gad noted.

According to a statement by the public prosecution, the truck driver was arrested and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the accident.

A team from the prosecution office had inspected the scene of the collision while another has headed to the hospital to record the accounts of the injured.