DHAKA (AFP) - Sixteen people were killed and 25 injured in Bangladesh when a bus and truck collided head-on on a road described by police on Friday as a "death trap."

All of the dead and injured were from the bus, which was full of weekend commuters travelling from the capital Dhaka to their village homes when the accident happened late Thursday, police officer Satyendra Roy told AFP.

Thirteen of those killed died at the scene in Sirajganj, 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Dhaka, while the rest died later in hospital.

"The accident happened on the road to the town of Jamuna. Accidents are common on this route. It's a death trap," Roy said.

Traffic accidents are frequent in Bangladesh because of dangerous driving and poorly maintained roads.