BEIJING, Jan 8 (AFP) - Seventeen people were killed and 22 were injured Sunday in a road traffic accident in eastern China's Jiangxi province, state media reported.

"The accident caused 17 deaths, 22 people were injured, the injured have been sent to the hospital," state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing local authorities.

The "major road traffic accident" took place just before 1 am (1700 GMT) in Nanchang County, it reported.

"The cause of the accident is under in-depth investigation," CCTV added.

Around an hour after the news emerged, Nanchang County traffic police issued travel tips to drivers saying the area was experiencing "foggy weather".

"Driving visibility is poor, there is low visibility, which can easily cause traffic accidents," it said.

"Please pay attention to fog lights... slow down, drive carefully, keep a safe distance from the car in front, avoid pedestrians, do not change lanes and overtake," it added.

Road accidents are common in China due to a lack of strict safety controls.

Last month, one person died during a highway pile-up in central China that involved hundreds of vehicles and was caused by low visibility in fog.

And in September, 27 passengers died after a bus transporting them to quarantine facilities in southwestern Guizhou province flipped over on a motorway.