The Egyptian interior ministry issued a statement saying that while police were pursuing “terrorist elements” they accidentally shot at a tourist convoy, worldwide media has reported.

The region is popular with tourists, but is also believed to be a militant hideout. “The incident resulted in the death of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians”.

The vast Western desert, which is the gateway to volatile and lawless Libya, has been exploited by militants affiliated to the Islamic State group, who mainly target security forces in Sinai on Egypt’s eastern borders.

The ministry did not give the exact number of Mexicans killed, or indicate whether the vehicles were targeted by automatic weapons or ariel bombardment.

The organisation, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, emerged after the 2011 revolution in Egypt and has gained pace since mid-2013, when Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was otherthrown.

ISIS said earlier Sunday it had engaged with the Egyptian military in the western desert, an arid stretch of the Sahara that covers about two-thirds of Egypt’s landmass.

About 10 million tourists visited in 2014, down sharply from a 2010 figure of nearly 15 million people who visited the country with its archaeological sites and Red Sea resorts.