At least 28 people were killed in two separate road accidents involving buses in Egypt on Saturday, medical officials and media said.

22 people were killed and eight others injured in the first crash which occurred on a highway near the city of Port Said when a minibus transporting workers from a garment factory collided with a truck.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

According to health officials, six other people were killed in the second accident when a tourist bus collided with a public bus near Red Sea resort of Ain Sokhna.

Among those killed were three tourists, including two Malaysians and an Indian, said the state run al-Ahram newspaper.

At least 24 people were injured, some left in serious conditions, the medical source said without giving further details.

Traffic accidents are common in Egypt due to poorly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws.

However, in recent years, efforts put by authorities to crack down on traffic violations, including speeding, appear to have borne fruits with official figures showing a decline in road deaths.

According to the bureau of statistics there were 8,480 deaths in 2018 as compared with 11,098 in 2017.

Deaths from traffic accidents in Egypt have fallen, reducing from over 5,000 in 2016 to just over 3,000 in 2018.