At least three persons were killed and 12 others injured when a vehicle in which they were travelling hit a tree in the southern Indian state of Telangana Tuesday, a senior police official said.

"The mishap took place in the state's Medak district this morning when the driver of the fateful vehicle rammed into a tree while trying to avoid a head-on collision with an auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction," he said, on condition of anonymity.

While three persons died on the spot, those injured have been admitted to a local hospital by local people, where the condition of at least four are said to be serious, the official said, adding their chances of survival are minimal.

The victims included two families from the western state of Maharashtra, who were on their way to the temple town of Tirupati in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, he said. "Efforts are on to nab the driver of the auto-rickshaw, who fled the spot after the mishap," the official added

Source : XINHUA