Poland road crash near Warsaw leaves 18 dead

The accident occurred at dawn in thick fog when a lorry and a minibus collided near the town of Nowe Miasto nad Pilica, 80km (50 miles) from Warsaw.

Sixteen people were confirmed dead at the scene and two others who were treated for their injuries in hospital later died.

Poland's Interior Minister Jerzy Miller is travelling to the site of the crash.

'Sitting on crates'

Polish police said the Volkswagen Transporter minivan was thought to be taking 18 people, probably seasonal workers, to their jobs and was overcrowded. All those killed were travelling on the bus.

The lorry driver was slightly hurt.

Police said excessive speed and poor weather conditions may have caused the crash.

Police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski told local television: "The vehicle was unsuitable for passengers. The people were not wearing seatbelts. They were sitting on crates.

"The bus swerved into the left-hand lane and hit a large articulated truck."

Two air ambulances were unable to land at the crash site because of the heavy fog.