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Mexican tourists were among 12 people mistakenly killed by security forces in Egypt during an anti-terror operation.
The tourists were travelling in four vehicles that entered a restricted zone in the Wahat area of the Western Desert.
Ten Mexicans and Egyptians were also injured and are being treated in a local hospital, the BBC reported.
A statement from Egypt’s interior ministry said the four vehicles the tourists were travelling in were “mistakenly dealt with” during a joint military police and armed forces operation.
It said the incident happened on Sunday in an area that “was off limits to foreign tourists” but it did not give an exact location.
The tour company transporting the tourists “did not have permits and did not inform authorities”, tourism ministry spokesman Rasha Azaz told the AP news agency.
However, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme has reported not only had the group been given permission to be in the area, but it was travelling with a police escort.
A joint force from the Egyptian police and military was pursuing militants in the area – which borders Libya – when the incident happened.