At least 12 people were killed as two trucks collided Sunday on a highway in Upper Egypt, official MENA news agency reported.

The two trucks crashed at the new Safaga-Sohag highway connecting between the Red Sea coastal province southeastern the capital Cairo and Sohag province in Upper Egypt.

The Red Sea authorities sent nine ambulances to the accident scene and the 12 bodies were taken to Safaga morgue.

Such accidents are common in the most populous Arab country due to lack of highway monitoring systems, poor road maintenance and negligence of traffic rules.

On Saturday, eight people were killed and eight others wounded as a vehicle crashed into a passing train in southern Egypt's Aswan province. Earlier in February, at least 11 were killed and over 100 wounded in separate car and train accidents nationwide.

Road accidents take about 12,000 lives in Egypt every year, according to the World Health Organization.

Source: XINHUA