9 killed, 22 injured as pickup van collides with truck in India's Chhattisgarh

NEW DELHI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and 22 others injured, some of them critically, after a pickup van collided with a stationary goods truck in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said Monday.

The accident took place Sunday night near Kathia village of Bemetara district, about 53 km north of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.

The deceased were identified as six women and three children. Seven of the injured were said to be in critical condition, police said, adding that the victims were returning home after attending a family function in nearby Tiraiyya village.

Preliminary investigations carried out by the police suggest the fast-driven pickup van rammed into the goods truck that was parked along the roadside.

Around 150,000 people are killed every year in about half a million road accidents across India, officials said.