Truck crashes are common in India and often caused by poorly maintained vehicles, overloading and bad driving.

At least 18 laborers were killed when their overloaded truck overturned in southern India early Monday, police said.

Another 17 people were injured in the accident near Gundepalli, a village in Andhra Pradesh state, police officer Ravi Prakash said.

The truck carrying cement and other construction material was taking the workers to a construction site 400 kilometers (350 miles) southeast of Hyderabad, the state capital.

He said a preliminary investigation suggested that driver negligence caused the crash as he appeared to have fallen asleep while driving.

India has the highest annual road death toll in the world, according to the World Health Organization. More than 110,000 people are killed every year in road accidents across India, according to police.

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.