A truck driving at high speed ran out of control and plunged into a ravine in southwestern Congo, killing 18 passengers on board and injuring more than a dozen others, police said.

The truck was "filled with goods and carrying many passengers" on a major highway in the remote Kasangulu territory in Kongo Central district on Sunday when it fell into the ravine, according to Kasangulu police commander Benjamin Banza.

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"The bodies recovered from the ravine were transported to the morgue of the Kasangulu General Hospital, while the injured, including six serious and 15 minor ones, are being treated at the hospital," Banza said late Sunday.

The truck was severely damaged and was yet to be recovered from the ravine, Banza said, adding that speeding is suspected as the cause of the accident.

Speeding is a common cause of crashes along major roads in Congo, where traffic rules are often not adhered to.

Sunday's accident raised fresh concerns about road safety in the Kongo Central region, which regularly records such tragedies. Local authorities have promised to educate drivers and enforce traffic rules in response.