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

The accident occurred around 11.30 pm on Friday near Teonthar town, he said, reports PTI.

"The bus was on its way to Gorakhpur (in UP) from Hyderabad when it collided with a stationary trailer-truck on national highway (NH) 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 (SP) 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.

While most of the injured persons were rushed to a hospital in Teonthar, those who suffered serious injuries were shifted to Rewa, the SP added.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and briefed him about the accident, an official said.

Chouhan informed the UP chief minister that the seriously injured persons are undergoing treatment in a government medical college in Rewa.

The Madhya Pradesh government will bear the cost of treatment of the injured persons, Chouhan told him.

Those who suffered minor injuries were given preliminary treatment and later sent to Prayagraj in another bus. The bodies of the victims are also being sent to Prayagraj, he added.

Wreckage of a bus after it collided with a stationary truck, in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh PTI image

The injured were rushed to a hospital in Suhagi, while those with serious injuries are being treated in Rewa's Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, officials said.

Navneet Bhasin, Rewa Superintendent of Police, said most of the people travelling in the bus were labourers from Uttar Pradesh, who had boarded the bus from Madhya Pradesh's Katni.

The labourers had come to Katni from Hyderabad in a separate bus, officials said, adding that they were heading home for Diwali.

Sources say some passerby had informed the police about the accident.

Police said a case has been registered and an investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has expressed his anguish over the accident. He also spoke to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath.

Arrangements are being made to send the bodies to their family members in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.