A spokesman of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, or China's cabinet, on Wednesday expressed condolence over the death of 14 Hong Kong tourists, who died in a bus accident in Egypt.

A tour bus overturned on a highway in southern Egypt early Tuesday, killing the 14 tourists and injuring 30 others, some seriously, Egyptian officials said earlier.

The bus was on the outskirts of the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, heading toward the ancient historic city of Luxor to the southwest, when it rolled over while speeding around a bend in the highway, according to Egyptian official news agency MENA.

"Chinese leaders are very much concerned about the event and had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to devote every effort to help all the Hong Kong people involved in the accident," said the spokesman in Beijing.

"Every compatriot from Hong Kong is a member of the great family of China," he said. "We express our deep sorrow and sympathy over the misery they have suffered during the Spring Festival, a time for family reunion of the Chinese."

The concerned central government departments and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad will continue to help the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in ensuring the treatment of the injured and dealing with the aftermath of the accident, he said.

On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the ministry has asked the Chinese embassy and consulate in Egypt to start up an emergency response system, contact relevant Egyptian departments and take immediate actions to rescue the injured and preserve the bodies of the dead.

Senior officials of the ministry also called the Egyptian ambassador to China to urge the Egyptian side to offer timely help and properly handle the aftermath, Kong said.

After the accident, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government immediately contacted the Chinese embassy in Egypt, consulate in Alexandria, the Foreign Ministry and the Office of the Commissioner of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong, asking for emergent help.

The tourists left Hong Kong on Friday for a 10-day tour in Egypt. The 30 injured had been taken to hospitals in Hurghada, one of Egypt's most popular holiday destinations.

Source: Xinhua