Cairo, May 12 (IANS) At least five people were killed and 16 wounded on Wednesday in a crash involved a minibus and a private car at Sohag desert road in southern Egypt, state-run Ahram newspaper reported on its website.

Initial investigations said the high speed of the bus driver caused the accident, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Ambulances have transferred the wounded to Sohag Public Hospital, and teams were immediately sent to clear debris that halted the traffic.

Daily road accidents are common in Egypt because of poorly maintained road infrastructure and loosely applied traffic regulations.

Over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network by establishing new roads and bridges to reduce traffic accidents.

--IANS int/rs