At least 13 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in a collision between a truck and a trailer in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, state police said, reports ANI news agency.

According to law enforcement agencies, the truck was carrying local residents returning from a religious festival.

The accident occurred near the city of Raipur.

A total of 13 people were killed and 12 others were injured, who were taken to hospital for treatment, said Raipur district police chief Lal Umed Singh.

Four of the dead were children.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.