EDFU, Oct 13 (Aswat Masriya) - Twenty seven people were killed in a road accident on a desert road in Upper Egypt early Monday, said head of the Ambulance Authority Ahmed al-Ansary.

Three buses collided on the Edfu desert road north of Aswan, leaving 18 more passengers injured.

Ansary said 30 ambulances were available in the vicinity of the Edfu Hospital to transfer the casualties.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered a swift investigation into the causes of the accident. He also called on the government to take the "necessary measures" to limit the occurrence of road accidents.

Road accidents are a common occurrence in Egypt.

According to a report released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in June, the number of car accidents occurring in Egypt in 2013 rose by 0.4 percent when compared to the 2012 figure.