Paris - Portugal's Carlos Sousa and co-driver Joao Manuel Luz were seriously hurt in a four-car smash early in the 13th stage of the Dakar Rally, organisers have .
France's Dominique Serieys was among the eight injured in the pile-up in the Libyan desert.
In a communique on Wednesday, organisers reported the Frenchman's condition as "serious", but said the other five competitors involved, including Serieys' teammate Japan's Kenjiro Shinozuka, did not face any serious medical threat.
The injured were first taken by helicopter to the medical centre at Waha, at the start of the stage, before being transferred by medical plane to hospital in Tunis.
The accident took place 63km in to the stage between Waha to Khofra in Libya, with Sousa, 34, and Luz, 29, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi.
Shinozuka was the highest-placed driver involved in the crash, being third in the auto classification at the start of the day.
The other casualties were Miguel Prieto and Pascal Maimon, Gregoire de Mevius and Thierry Delli Zotti.
The three Mitsubishis and one Nissan came to grief one kilometre off the recommended route after tackling a sand dune at high speed, organisers reported.
Another competitor, Bruno Saby, arrived on the scene within seconds, and sent out an alert for .
Organisers said: "A full medical bulletin will be released at the end of the day."
The race finishes in Cairo on Sunday. - Sapa-AFP