Kiev  - Thirteen Ukrainians died and six suffered serious injuries in a pair of nearly identical road accidents involving minibuses and highway maintenance lorries, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.

Seven people aboard a Ford Transit on an highway connecting the capital Kiev to Borispil airport lost their lives Monday morning after the minivan's driver lost control of his vehicle and struck a slow-moving road cleaning lorry on the side of the road.

The driver and crew of the lorry were uninjured. Two minivan passengers were being treated in a Kiev hospital for severe injuries.

The crash came in the wake of a Monday accident outside Kiev on the Kharkiv highway, caused when the driver of another Ford Transit minibus rammed a road repair lorry working in the median, Fakty newspaper reported.

The driver and five passengers of the van died in the collision. Four other bus passengers suffered serious to critical injuries and were recovering in area hospitals. No injuries to road crew were reported.

On Tuesday, 16 Ukrainians were killed and 156 injured in road accidents, according to police statistics.

Ukraine's highways are rated among Europe's most dangerous due to poor road quality, increasing numbers of vehicles on the roads, and weak enforcement of traffic regulations by police.

Ukrainian road accident death rates have spiked in recent months due to increased road travel during the summer season, and intensified ridership of minivans and small buses by Ukrainians unable or unwilling to travel by their own auto, because of rising fuel prices.

Privately-operated minivans are a common form of public transportation in and between Ukrainian cities due to low cost and frequent service.

Violation by minibus drivers of laws regulating commercial use of the minibuses, particularly with regard to vehicle safety and maximum numbers of passengers allowed on board, is common. (dpa)