Hanoi - At least seven people were killed and more than 20 seriously injured when a bus carrying more than 30 people collided with a truck in central Vietnam, an official said Monday.

The accident happed late Sunday in Krong Buk district in the central highland province of Dak Lak, about 350 kilometres north-east of Ho Chi Minh City, said La Van Thanh, deputy chairman of the district.

"The bus was overloaded, and it was travelling too fast," Thanh said. "The bus driver lost control at a road bend and crashed directly into the side of a truck going in the opposite direction."

Thanh said the front of the 24-seat bus was crushed, and rescuers had to use a power saw to extricate the injured and bodies of the victims.

"Many of the injured people are still in very bad condition, but we hope they will survive," Thanh said.

Road crashes killed 13,200 people and injured 10,500 in Vietnam in 2007, up 3 per cent from 2006, according to government statistics. (dpa)