Yaounde, Oct 10 (IANS): At least 15 people were killed and 10 others injured in a collision between a bus loaded with passengers and a truck in Cameroon's South region.

Prefect of Dja and Lobo division, Damien Owono, said the accident happened when the bus collided head-on with the truck coming from the opposite direction in the Kombe locality of the region on Wednesday.

"We woke up this early morning with this shocking news. There were 22 passengers and the driver on the bus. The ten injured people are being taken care of in hospital. We ask the families to remain calm. It was an accident. Investigations are ongoing and the authorities will establish the responsibility. We ask road users to be more careful," Owono told reporters after visiting the scene of the tragedy, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to local police, the death toll is expected to rise as most of the injured people are in a critical condition because of the serious burn injuries that they sustained during the mishap.

Such accidents in Cameroon are often linked to the poor condition of roads and drivers' ignorance.

Data from the Cameroonian Ministry of Transport show some 1,500 people die in road accidents each year in the Central African nation.