CAIRO: Thirteen factory workers were killed on Saturday when their small pickup truck crashed head on into a large lorry in southern Egypt, a security official said.

The workers were on their way to their factory in Zaafarana, close to the popular Red Sea resort of Hurghada, when the driver lost control of the steering weel.

"The 13, including the driver, died instantly. Three people are in hospital in critical condition," the official told AFP.

Egypt's roads are among the most chaotic and dangerous in the world, with traffic laws flouted widely. Road accidents kill about 6,000 people each year, according to transport ministry figures.