Twelve people have been killed and another 19 were injured after a bus veered off the road and crashed into a roadside ditch in central Turkey, officials said.

The driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle, which crossed into the oncoming lane and then plunged into the ditch near the central Turkish city of Yozgat, governor Mehmet Ali Ozkan said.

The bus was travelling from Sivas – some 150 miles east of Yozgat – to Istanbul.

Turkey Bus Crash
Eleven people died at the scene, while one other person died later in hospital (Dia via AP)

Mr Ozkan said 11 of the passengers died at the scene of the crash while one died later in the hospital.

The injured passengers were being treated in nearby hospitals and one of them is in a serious condition, he said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation, Mr Ozkan said.