As many as 14 people were killed and six others injured in an explosion of a fuel truck in the Nile Delta city of Kafr el-Zayat, 80 km far from the capital Cairo, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

A fuel tanker overturned and exploded Monday night on a desert road between the coastal city of Alexandria and Gharbiya province, MENA news agency quoted health minister Maha Al Rabat as saying.

The tanker flipped over when it tried to avoid colliding with another nearby car, Abdel Rahaman Sharaf, Gharbiya's deputy security chief said, adding that a large quantity of fuel spilled, causing huge fire in a microbus carrying passengers.

Traffic accidents are common in Egypt, killing at least 10,000 people every year, according to official reports.

Lack of highway monitoring systems, poor road maintenance and breaking traffic rules are behind the high rate of road accidents in the country.

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