Egypt reported late Saturday into Sunday that the Qatari delegation traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh was involved in a fatal car accident in the Sinai Peninsula, where one of the vehicles overturned. According to the reports, at least three diplomats perished in the crash.
Egyptian sources assess that a burst tire and the subsequent loss of control over the steering wheel led to the car accident. The Qatari Embassy confirmed the news of the accident, stating that coordination for the transfer of the bodies to Doha is now taking place.
An Arabic news outlet reported that three members of the Qatari delegation were killed and two additional people were injured. It was also noted that the incident occurred at the same time Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani was present in Sharm el-Sheikh as part of the discussions on the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. The channel Al-Hadath reported that the deceased were Qatari diplomats employed at Qatar's embassy in Cairo. They were traveling from the Egyptian capital toward Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported, citing Egyptian security officials, that the three Qatari diplomats were killed on their way to the official announcement of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. According to the sources, the accident happened approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the city of Sharm el-Sheikh. The delegation members were traveling in a single diplomatic vehicle as part of a larger convoy.
Sources informed Al-Arabiya that Egyptian-Qatari coordination is underway to transfer the Qatari diplomats' bodies to Doha. Furthermore, it was reported that a security team has been established to ascertain the accident's circumstances.
