CBCP official, 22 Filipino tourists, hurt in Egypt bus accident

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Secretary General, Father Marvin Mejia, was among the 23 Filipinos hurt in a bus accident in Egypt, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday, October 26.

The DFA said the group were in a bus ride near Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai peninsula when incident happened. They were on their way to the border crossing over to Israel.

The DFA said some Filipino-American tourists were hurt in the incident too.

“The extent of the injuries suffered by the Filipinos range from bruises to broken bones, and most of them have been discharged from the hospital in Sharm-el-Sheik. Many of them will be returning to the Philippines in the next few days,” the DFA said.

“The Philippine embassy and the Filipino community in the area rendered assistance to the group in coordination with the travel agencies involved,” it added.

The DFA said the group had requested that the incident be kept private, but thhe group members’ “well-meaning friends have shared information about the accident on social media.”

In a Facebook post, Caloocan Bishop Pablo David said, “[Father Mejia] is now fine and out of danger, he’s discharged and resting at a hotel.”

David’s update came from Father Jan Limchua, a Filipino priest who works at the Apostolic Nunciature in Cairo, Egypt, which provided assistance to the group. – Rappler.com