ISLAMABAD, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed when a passenger van slammed into a pick-up truck in Karak district of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, local reports said.

The crash took place on a busy highway when the van, which departed from provincial capital of Peshawar, collided head-on with the pick-up truck traveling in the opposite direction, Samaa News said.

Police said the van's gas cylinder exploded in the crash, causing a big fire, which engulfed the whole vehicle, and burned 16 passengers inside it.

Police and rescue teams cut through the metal wreckage of the vehicle to retrieve the bodies.

Road accidents are frequent in Pakistan, mainly due to poorly maintained vehicles, dilapidated roads and negligence of road safety measures.