EDFU, Oct 13 (Aswat Masriya) – Speeding is believed to be the cause of a car crash on a desert road in Upper Egypt which occurred early Monday leaving over two dozen people killed, according to the public prosecution.

Three taxis collided on the Edfu desert road north of Aswan; two of the taxis were from the governorate of Fayoum while the third was from Luxor. Two of the three drivers were killed in the crash, the prosecution said.

The surviving taxi driver owed the accident to "bad lighting" and "road problems", Edfu Head of Prosecution Mahmoud al-Afyouni told Aswat Masriya.

The public prosecution ordered running blood tests on the three drivers to check if any of them was using drugs, the prosecution's statement read.

The prosecution reported 26 deaths as a result of the accident, as well of 20 injuries. The Head of the Ambulance Authority Ahmed al-Ansary had earlier told Aswat Masriya the death toll was 27.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered a swift investigation into the cause of the accident. He also called on the government to take the "necessary measures" to limit road accidents.

Road accidents are a common occurrence in Egypt, being among the prime causes of death in the Arab world's most populous country.

According to a report released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in June, the number of car accidents occurring in Egypt in 2013 rose by 0.4 percent when compared to the 2012 figure.