Eighteen Egyptian policemen were killed in an accident on Monday after their driver lost control of their truck in the Sinai, where security forces are battling Islamist militants, state media reported.

Another six policemen were injured in the accident near the border with Israel, the official MENA news agency reported.

The dead and injured conscripts belonged the interior ministry's Central Security Forces, which along with the army has been battling Islamist militants behind a series of deadly attacks in the lawless peninsula.

Deadly road accidents are common in Egypt, due to bad road conditions and lax traffic regulations.