Luxor (AP): Twenty-seven tourists, almost half of them German, were injured when their speeding bus overturned in southern Egypt, security and medical officials said Thursday.

The bus with 45 tourists was heading from the southern ancient city of Qena to the Red Sea coastal city of Safaga late Wednesday when the accident happened, said a security official.

The bus flipped over in a two-lane highway, some 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Qena, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The injured, including 13 Germans and those of other European nationalities, were admitted to the Luxor International Hospital. Most were released Thursday morning but a 62-year-old German tourist remained hospitalized, according to the hospital's chief, Atef Khalil.

Two other German tourists were transferred to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Hurgada on their request, Khalil added.

However, there were conflicting reports of the numbers and nationalities of the injured. Another police official, also speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason as his colleague, said 11 were injured in the accident, including an Austrian tourist. The discrepancy could not immediately be resolved.

In a follow-up drama immediately after the accident, two Egyptian policemen were killed while the bus driver survived unharmed for a second time, when a police car that had arrested him also turned over on its way back to Qena, the security official also said.

Road accidents are very common in Egypt due to bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. Police estimate road accidents kill about 6,000 people annually.