At least 11 people were killed and 10 others injured in a head-on collision between a goods truck and a pickup van in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said on Friday.

The accident took place on Thursday night on a main road in Khamariya village in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, about 85 km north of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.

"Late last night in a road accident, 11 people, including 4 children, have lost their lives," senior police official Siddhartha Baghel told the media, adding that 10 injured have been removed to a hospital in Raipur.

Police said the victims were returning home after attending a family function in Arjuni area.

A case has been registered in this regard, and investigation ordered by police is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

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

xinhua