Dhaka, May 29 (IANS): At least eight people were killed and 20 others injured on Sunday when a bus slammed into a tree in Bangladesh's Barisal district, police said.

Barishal District Police Superintendent Md Maruf Hossain told Xinhua news agency the driver appeared to have lost control of the bus on a highway during an overnight journey.

According to the local police chief, 20 of the 42 people on board were injured, and some were in critical condition.

All the injured were rushed to local hospitals, the police official said, adding that the exact cause of the accident is under investigation.

The accident took place at around 5.40 a.m.

Bangladesh has a higher fatality rate for road accidents in the world due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by inept drivers and lack of monitoring by the traffic department.

Road Safety Foundation, a non-government organisation, said at least 543 people were killed and 612 were injured in 427 road accidents across the country last month.