Thirty-seven people died in a road accident in Cameroon early Sunday with 19 others seriously injured, according to local authorities.

The accident took place in Ndikinimeki of Mbam-et-Inoubou division in central Cameroon. A 70-seat bus oversped and crashed into a parked truck, according to Absalom Woloa Monono, prefect of Mbam-et-Inoubou.

"The bus then lost control and ran violently over Nemale Bridge and tumbled into the stream and stopped on the bank of the stream," Monono told Xinhua on phone, adding that the 19 injured have been evacuated to a local hospital for treatment.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash. Such accidents in Cameroon are often linked to the poor state of roads and drivers' ignorance.

The Ministry of Transport estimates that 1,500 people die in road accidents each year in Cameroon.