CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday pledged a quick and transparent investigation into the accidental killings of eight Mexican tourists by security forces.

Reading out a joint statement at a press conference with his visiting Mexican counterpart, Shoukry said Egypt had committed “to carrying out a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation” into the deaths.

The tourists were attacked in an air strike in Egypt’s Western Desert on Sunday, after security forces mistook them for militants who had been operating in the area.

Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu told reporters “the Egyptian government has conveyed its deepest regrets at the tragic incident and we have agreed to wait until the investigation is complete to know its findings.”