Cairo, Egypt: Sixteen people were killed, all but three of them Egyptian policemen, in a collision between a police vehicle and a truck south of Cairo, authorities said on Saturday.

The accident happened on Friday night along a stretch of road in Beni Suef province about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Egyptian capital.

The police vehicle, which was carrying conscripts, crashed into the truck, sending the two vehicles into a roadside canal, said medics and the police.

‘Sixteen people were killed and four were injured,’ a health ministry official told AFP.

Accidents are common in Egypt, where roads are often poorly maintained and traffic regulations little enforced.

The World Health Organisation says they account for nearly 12,000 deaths annually.