Twelve people were injured in a bus crash when the driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel in Thailand.

The coach slammed into an 18-wheeler truck on Highway No. 2 in Khon Kaen province on April 18.

The front part of the bus was torn off, while a piece of the bus door was lodged in the truck's cargo.

Police Captain Yongyuth Suprompitak of the Nam Phong District Police Station said 11 passengers and the bus driver Jakkrawan were injured.

They were taken to the Nam Phong Hospital while another bus was dispatched to take the rest of the passengers to their destination.

Jakkrawan claimed he dozed off while driving, causing him to lose control and crash into the truck in front of him.

Police Captain Yongyuth said: 'We will question the bus driver further to investigate the cause of the accident.'

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in Asia, Thailand suffers from chronic underinvestment in its highways and education, contributing to its poor road safety levels. Only a handful of African countries are worse.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.