U.S. Copts Association

CAIRO (Reuters) - Nine Egyptians were killed and seven injured on Monday when a car crashed into a group of people celebrating a religious festival in the Sinai Peninsula, security sources said.

The car ploughed into a crowd of hundreds in the town of Hurghada celebrating a local saint. Its brakes had failed, the sources said, adding police were investigating the incident.

The injured were taken to two hospitals in Hurghada, a popular tourist destination on the Red Sea coast.

Reckless driving, lax traffic rules and poor road conditions cause many road crashes in Egypt. A series of road and rail accidents in the past few years triggered a public outcry over the government’s handling of road and transport safety.

(Writing by Will Rasmussen; Editing by Janet Lawrence)