Twenty-eight other people, whose ages are not yet known, were injured in the incident.

They were taken to a hospital in Esna for treatment, officials said.

Another six escaped unhurt from the canal near the villages of al-Qaraya and al-Mashabek, the police said.

Police warned that the death toll could rise as the emergency services were trying to retrieve more bodies. The number of passengers on the bus was not known.

Both vehicles plunged into the canal after the collision, the cause of which is not yet clear.

Egypt has one of the highest traffic accident rates in the world.