CAIRO: At least 35 people were killed and 53 others injured on Saturday in multiple vehicle collisions in Egypt's Beheira governorate, state-run media reported.

Security investigations showed the accident was caused by an oil leak from a car traveling on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road near Beheira, which led to many vehicles colliding with each other, Ahram newspaper reported.

Multiple vehicles caught fire due to the accident. The dead and injured have been transferred to hospitals in nearby cities, Xinhua news agency reported.

A criminal investigation into the tragedy has been ordered, the report said.

Road accidents claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt as a result of speeding, poor maintenance of roads and lax enforcement of traffic laws.

Over the past few years, Egypt has upgraded its road network to reduce traffic accidents.