At least 15 people have been killed after a truck hit a parked passenger bus carrying wedding guests on a busy road near the southern Pakistani city of Hyderabad.

The accident took place before dawn in the town of Matiarai in the southern Sindh province.

Police said 17 other people were injured in the crash, with some of them in a critical condition.

A spokesman said the crash appeared to have been caused by negligence on the part of the truck driver.

TV footage showed badly damaged bus and ambulances transporting bodies and those who were injured to hospitals.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where major routes and many minor roads are poorly maintained, and traffic laws are widely ignored.