Czech driver Ales Loprais, the leader in the truck category of the Dakar Rally, said Wednesday he was “terribly sorry” after his vehicle hit an Italian tourist who subsequently died.

Loprais’s Praga truck struck the 69-year-old Italian man who was taking pictures behind a sand dune during Tuesday’s ninth stage between Riyadh and Haradh in Saudi Arabia.

He died in the helicopter taking him to hospital, organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (AMO) said in a statement, adding it was investigating the accident.

More details on SportsDesk.