At least six persons were killed and six others critically injured in the Patna district when the special utility vehicle (SUV) in which they were travelling crashed into a stationary truck on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on an under-construction Bakhtiyarpur-Biharsharif four-lane national highway 31 during the early hours.

The group of people was travelling from Hamidpur Bara village in Nawada district to Umanath Temple at Barh in Patna district to participate in a head-tonsuring programme.

The collision was so severe that the SUV looked as if it had melted into a heap of mangled metal.

“According to eyewitnesses, the SUV rammed into a stationary truck from behind. Four people died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital,” Barh sub-divisional police officer Abhishek Singh told reporters.

The rest of the injured have been admitted to a hospital. The driver of the truck that was rammed by the SUV had fled from the spot.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the loss of lives.