MULTAN: At least 19 people including two children were killed in a collision between a passenger bus and a truck in Pakistan early on Wednesday, officials said.

The accident took place near Theekriwala in Punjab due to "speeding and reckless driving", senior police official Afzaal Ahmed Khosa told AFP.

"Nineteen passengers including two women and two children were killed," Khosa said.

Dr Naeem Hashmi, who works at the Allied Hospital in Faisalabad, said 15 injured people were being treated in the emergency department. Two of them were in a serious condition.

Poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving are cited as common reasons behind accidents in Pakistan. More than 4,600 people were killed in road traffic accidents in 2013, which is the last year the government released official data on the matter.

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