Bangladeshi police say a bus has crashed head on with a truck in the country's north, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 20 others.

Police say the accident happened Thursday as the bus was traveling north from the capital, Dhaka, with around 40 passengers. It collided with the truck in Bogra district, killing 11 people instantly. Six others died of their injuries at a hospital.

The fate of the bus and truck drivers was not immediately clear.

Traffic accidents kill about 10,000 people in Bangladesh a year. The most common causes are reckless driving, poor road conditions and old vehicles.

Earlier this month, a vehicle carrying school students overturned in the southeastern district of Chittagong, killing 44 people, mostly children.