THE outgoing Egyptian ambassador to Namibia, Dr Mohammed Hadi Mostafa el Tonsi, and his wife are so shocked by the death of their 22-year-old daughter that they are unable to speak to the media.

Aida el Tonsi died on the spot on Sunday after the vehicle she and her parents were travelling in left the road and overturned on a gravel road 35 km south of Rehoboth.

The accident happened at about 14h30 Sunday afternoon between Rehoboth and Klein Aub.

Apart from the El Tonsi family, a couple from Austria was also in the 4x4 vehicle at the time of the accident.

It is understood that they were on their way back from a weekend at Sossusvlei.

Upon enquiry, the Khomas Regional Crime Investigations Co-ordinator, Deputy Commissioner Sylvanus Nghishidimbwa, said the driver "lost control [of the vehicle] and it eventually overturned".

He could not say how many times the vehicle had rolled. Although Nghishidimbwa confirmed that "a female person died on the spot", he was reluctant to confirm the identity of the deceased.

He said the two couples were all first taken to the St Mary's Hospital at Rehoboth before being transported to Windhoek. El Tonsi, his wife and the Austrians all sustained injuries, but are in a stable condition in the Medi-Clinic in Windhoek.

The hospital's spokes-person, Lynn Esterhuizen, said El Tonsi had requested that their privacy be respected. She said: "They are fine. They are all stable. They want their privacy."

A former colleague of Aida's described her as "not only gorgeous, but also intelligent, helpful and friendly".