NEW DELHI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and 12 others injured, some of them critically, after a speeding vehicle hit a pickup van in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said Monday.
The accident took place late Sunday night near Hafizpur village in Hapur district, about 536 km northwest of Lucknow city, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
"Late last night in a tragic road accident an unknown vehicle hit a pickup van, killing nine people and injuring 12 others," a senior police official posted in Hapur said. "The deceased include some children."
According to police, the victims in the pickup van were returning from a wedding function when it was hit.
"The injured were hospitalised in district hospital Hapur and few seriously injured were referred to Meerut hospital," the police said.
Police have registered a case and ordered investigations to ascertain the actual reason behind the accident.
The state's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.
Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
Officials say on an average over 400 deaths take place everyday in India due to road accidents.
