CAIRO -- At least 35 people were killed and 53 others injured Saturday in multiple vehicle collisions on a desert road in Egypt's Beheira governorate, state-run Ahram newspaper reported.

Security investigations showed the accident was caused by an oil leak from a car traveling on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road near Beheira, which led to many vehicles colliding with each other.

Multiple vehicles caught fire due to the accident. The dead and injured have been transferred to hospitals in nearby cities. A criminal investigation into the tragedy has been ordered, the report said.

Road accidents claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt as a result of speeding, poor maintenance of roads and lax enforcement of traffic laws.

Over the past few years, Egypt has upgraded its road network to reduce traffic accidents.