NEW DELHI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and three others injured in a major road accident in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand Wednesday, a police official said.
"The accident happened when a trailer crashed into a passenger vehicle head-on in Dalbhumgarh in the state's Ghatshila sub-division," local police chief (rural) Prabhat Kumar told the media.
While five people, including three women, were killed on the spot, the injured have been admitted to a government hospital, where the condition of two are said to be serious, he said.
The victims were occupants of the passenger vehicle and the bodies of the deceased have been sent for an autopsy, after which they will be handed over to the family members, police said.
Eye-witnesses told cops that the trailer was travelling at high speed and the accident took place after its driver lost control of the vehicle.
A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said, adding that efforts are on to track down the driver of the trailer who fled the spot after the accident.
India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. Road accidents are often caused due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.
