Not fewer than 14 people, among them five children, were killed on Monday when a van rammed into a lorry in south-western Pakistan, an official said.

The accident, in which six other people were injured, took place near Qila Saifullah district in the province of Balochistan.

“At least 14 people including a woman and five children were killed in the accident,’’ Waqas Ahmad Khilji, a police official from Qila Saifullah, said.

Local media reported that five members of one family were among the dead.

Khilji said that the cause of the accident was not yet known.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan due to a lack of adequate infrastructure, poorly maintained vehicles and careless driving.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, around 9,000 road accidents are reported every year, killing around 4,000 people.

NAN