A truck veered off the road and plunged into a ravine killing 18 people in Kasangulu, Congo. / Photo: AFP

Eighteen passengers have died in Congo's Kasangulu area after the driver of the truck they were traveling in lost control, plunging into a ravine.

Kasangulu police commander Benjamin Banza says the truck was overloaded with goods and people.

“The bodies recovered from the ravine were transported to the morgue of the Kasangulu General Hospital, while the injured, including six serious and 15 minor ones, are being treated at the hospital,” Banza said.

The truck is yet to be recovered from the ravine. According to the police speeding is the likely cause of the accident.

Sunday's accident raised fresh concerns about the country's road safety, with local authorities undertaking to educate drivers and tighten enforcement of traffic rules.

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AP