DHAKA: Fifteen people were killed and 40 injured when a speeding bus hurtled off the road into a pond in Bangladesh, police said on Tuesday.

All 14 died at the scene when the driver lost control as he was driving at breakneck speed, police assistant sub-inspector Sirajul Islam said on telephone from near the scene of the accident.

"Sixteen more were injured, including several with serious head injuries. All the injured were shifted to hospitals around the region," he added.

The bus had around 40 passengers and it was travelling to the nearby district town of Laxmipur from Ramgati. Bus accidents are frequent in Bangladesh due to rash driving and poor roads.