A crane pulls up a bus that plunged into an irrigation canal in southern Egypt Sunday, killing 57 people. (Associated Press)

A bus plunged into an irrigation canal along a narrow road in southern Egypt on Sunday, killing 57 people, authorities said.

The bus carrying 70 passengers had swerved to avoid an oncoming pickup truck near the city of Minya, about 215 kilometres south of Cairo, Minya Gov. Ahmed Dia said.

The accident occurred early Sunday at the end of a major Muslim holiday when roads were crowded with returning vacationers.

At least nine survivors were sent to a southern Egyptian hospital, officials said.

One survivor told local television that a boat came to get him and a friend after the bus plunged into the water, but many people were unable to escape the bus.

Egypt has a history of serious traffic accidents because of careless driving, poor road conditions and speeding. At least 8,000 people died on the road in 2006, according to the most recent statistics.

With files from the Associated Press