16 dead in Thai road smash: police

BANGKOK: A pregnant woman was among 16 people killed when the truck they were travelling in slammed into a tree in northeastern Thailand, police said, the latest major accident on the kingdom's deadly roads.

"The truck crashed into a tree -- 15 passengers died at the scene and one died later at the hospital," said police Colonel Suthee Seatthawong, commander of the local police station in Buriram province.

The remaining eight passengers -- who are believed to be manual labourers returning to their rural homes after working in the capital Bangkok -- were all seriously injured.

Police told AFP that the 24-year-old driver, who was among the dead, may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

"We found one tablet of amphetamine in his bag and a partially-drunk bottle of whisky," Suthee said, adding that road conditions had been good at the time of the crash early Monday.

All those killed, including the pregnant woman, were in their 20s, police said.

Deadly road accidents are a common occurence in Thailand.