A passenger bus was transporting people from Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo
The tombs belong to senior officials from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate period, dating to more than four thousand years ago, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.
Located near the pyramid of King Merenre I, they also contained large stone coffins, wooden coffins and other artefacts including small statues and pottery.
Saqqara, which lies south of the Great Pyramids of Giza, has provided a rich seam of archaeological discoveries in recent years.