The Malian government and local officials say thirty-seven people were killed and several others injured when a bus collided with a lorry in central Mali during heavy rain on Tuesday.

Road accidents are a regular occurrence in the country, where the poor state of the motorways has been a source of social tension.

The government tweeted that 37 people were killed "and others seriously injured."

It says the death toll of the accident which occurred at Zambougou is preliminary.

Alassane Traore, the governor of the central Segou region which includes Zambougou, told AFP that a passenger bus had collided with a lorry carrying agricultural produce. 

A crash survivor said that "visibility was poor and the road was wet because of the heavy rain", adding the truck failed to brake in time. 

Travelling by road is still the principal means of transport for people and goods in the landlocked Sahel nation of some 20 million people.