Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan noted on January 31st that a sight-seeing bus with 44 Hong Kong tourists encountered a severe traffic accident in southeast Egypt, causing 14 dead and the rest injured.

After the accident, related authorities of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) immediately contacted the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, Consulate General of China in Alexandria, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Office of the Commissioner of China's Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong SAR to ask for emergent assistance.

Leaders of the State Council attached great importance to the accident and demanded to proceed from the height of putting people first and diplomacy serving the interest of people in handling the case. They instructed the Foreign Ministry to examine and verify the situation and spare no efforts to help Hong Kong compatriots. All that demonstrated the Central Government's concern and care for Hong Kong compatriots. The Foreign Ministry urgently instructed related embassy and Consulate General to launch the emergency mechanism immediately, to contact the Egyptian related authorities and urge them to help those affected, rescue the wounded and preserve the remains of the victims. Major leaders in the Embassy of China in Egypt were on their way to the accident site to command and coordinate the rescue operation in the front line. Leaders of the Ministry in charge had emergent phone conversations with the Egyptian ambassador to China, urging Egypt to provide in time rescue assistance and to properly handle the aftermath.