Picture shown is for illustrative purposes only.

Four vehicles collided on a busy road in northern Nigeria's Kano state, killing 19.

The accident occurred late on Sunday at Dinyar Madiga village, 85 kilometres (52 miles) from Kano, the state capital, said Zubairu Mato of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

"A total of 19 people died in the accident involving four vehicles, including two buses and two cars," Mato said, adding that seven others were seriously injured.

"The speeding vehicles collided while trying to dodge potholes," he said.

Accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly-maintained roads, caused by reckless driving, speeding and disregard for traffic rules.

In April, 19 wedding guests were killed in nearby Jigawa state when their overloaded bus skidded off the road and crashed after a tyre burst.

Agence France-Presse