Twelve people, including two Mexican tourists, were reported killed Sunday when Egyptian forces mistook a tourist convoy in Egypt’s western desert for a group of terrorists, according to official accounts from Egypt and Mexico.
Ten other people, including five Mexicans, were reported injured.
Egyptian authorizes described the incident as a case of mistaken identity in the isolated Al Wahat area, where Egyptian police and armed forces are battling insurgent groups.
The vast and remote zone is more than 200 miles southwest of Cairo, the capital.
While details were still vague, it appeared from official and media accounts that Egyptian authorities suspected that a four-vehicle convoy carrying tourists in the western desert was actually ferrying insurgents active in the zone.