A speeding bus veered off a major expressway in central Bangladesh and plunged into a ditch, killing at least 19 people and injured dozens, police said.

The death toll could rise further as some of the injured passengers are in critical condition, said Anowar Hossain, police official of Shibchar, where the crash occurred. The city is 80km away from the capital Dhaka.

The bus, carrying more than 40 passengers, fell about 9m into a roadside ditch after breaking through the railing of the newly-built Padma river bridge expressway, Hossain said.