At least 16 Russian tourists have been killed in a bus crash in southern Turkey, according to local government officials.

The bus was carrying more than 40 people when it drove into a river around 5am local time. It was traveling from the seaside resort of Alanya to Pamukkale, a town 375km to the northwest.

Mehmet Seyman, the deputy governor of Antalya province, said rescue workers are working to pull more than two dozen injured people from the wreckage.

Mirdzhalol Khusanov, Russia's consul general in Turkey, said employees from the consulate are visiting hospitals where the injured passengers were taken.

Alanya is a popular holiday destination along Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

Long-distance buses are a common mode of transport for locals and tourists alike, with hundreds of companies operating services throughout Turkey.

High-profile accidents are not uncommon: In 2008, for example, a bus veered off a roadin eastern Turkey's Agri province, killing 16 Iranian tourists.

And a 2006 crash killed more than a dozen passengers when a bus drove into a riverin the central Tokat province.