Fifteen people were killed and more than 35 others were injured, some of them seriously, after an Uttar Pradesh-bound bus collided with a stationary truck in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, India, an official said on Saturday.

The accident occurred around 11:30 pm on Friday near Teonthar town, he said. ‘The bus was on its way to Gorakhpur from Hyderabad when it collided with a stationary trailer-truck on national highway 30 near Sohagi Ghati area,” Rewa collector Manoj Pushp said.

While 12 persons were killed on the spot, two others succumbed while being taken to a hospital from Teonthar to Rewa. Later, one more person succumbed to injuries at the hospital in Rewa, he said. “Fifteen persons were killed in the accident, which left more than 35 others injured,’ Rewa district’s superintendent of police said.

After being alerted about the incident, police personnel from Sohagi rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation. Majority of the bus passengers were labourers and they were on their way home for the Diwali festival, eyewitnesses said.