YAOUNDE, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A head-on crash at night between two buses killed 23 people and injured 36 others in Cameroon, state radio reported on Sunday.

A third bus crushed two people on a motorcycle and plunged into a ditch after swerving to avoid the collision, which happened on Saturday evening around 70 km (45 miles) north of the central African country's commercial capital Douala.

"They were all running at top speed and their headlights were fully on," the radio said, quoting police sources and eyewitnesses.

As in many African countries, Cameroon's roads are generally in poor repair and vehicles are often not properly maintained.

The country's Transport Ministry blames 70 per cent of road accidents on poor driving, saying motorists are sometimes drunk or exhausted and drive too fast.

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