Shahdol: Three women were killed and 15 other persons, including children, suffered injuries when their multi-utility vehicle (MUV) rammed into a tree in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district on Monday, police said.
The accident occurred at around 5 am near Jora village, they said.
The MUV, bearing the registration number of Chhattisgarh, was carrying 20 persons, mostly women and children.
The vehicle occupants were heading back to Chhattisgarh after visiting Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh when it crashed into a tree, Beohari police station in-charge Arun Pandey said.
Three women, identified as Gayatri Kawar, Malti Patel and Indira Bai, were killed and 15 other persons suffered injuries, he said.
After being alerted by locals, police rushed to the scene. They shifted the injured persons to hospital using ambulances and police vehicles.
Four critically injured persons were referred to Shahdol Medical College after they were provided initial treatment at a hospital in Beohari, the official said.
The families of the deceased were informed about the incident, the police added.