Tomb of mummies found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings

Archeologists have uncovered the first tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since King Tutankhamun's was discovered in 1922.

The tomb holds five mummies in sarcophagi. The mummies are believed to be from the late 18th Dynasty, Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement.

The Valley of the Kings outside Luxor in southern Egypt is home to tombs of pharaohs who ruled from 1567 BC to 1320 BC.

Wednesday's statement did not say if the tomb is believed to be royal. A news conference is planned for Friday at the site, about five kilometres from Tutankhamun's tomb.

A team from the University of Memphis discovered the tomb, according to the statement.

The human-shaped sarcophagi include coloured funerary masks, and the tomb holds more than 20 large storage jars, Hawass said.

"For an unknown reason they were buried rapidly in the small tomb," the statement said.