LJUBLJANA (AFP) - At least four people died and 25 were injured Saturday in a pile-up caused by thick fog in western Slovenia involving over 50 vehicles, local police said.

"Four people died and some 25 were injured, the clean-up operation continues but we do not expect that figure to change," a police spokeswoman, Anita Leskovec, told AFP.

She said at least 55 vehicles, including a bus and four lorries, were involved in the accident.

Due to bad visibility, "another three or four collisions" later took place at the same site, she added.

Public Radio Slovenija earlier quoted unofficial sources as saying that five people had died in the pile-up which happened early in the afternoon near Senozece, around 60km south-west of Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

Due to the accident the highway connecting the Adriatic coast with Ljubljana remained closed for several hours.