As many as nine Hindu devotees returning home on a three-wheeler after performing a religious ritual died after a speeding truck crashed into their vehicle in the Indian state of Assam, bordering Bangladesh, Thursday.

The accident occurred on national highway number 8 in the Baithakhal area of Assam's Karimganj district.

Police said that the truck was travelling at a high speed and its driver lost control of the vehicle, leading to the accident. "Nine of the 10 Hindu devotees on the auto died in the impact of the crash," a police official said.

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Assam's chief minister Himanta Biswa Sharma took to social media to offer his condolences to the bereaved families.

"I deeply mourn the tragic deaths of nine persons in an accident at Baitakhal, Patharkhandi...," he tweeted. "Assam police are trying to trace the driver of the truck who fled the scene..."

The police officer also said that "efforts are on to nab the truck driver in the hit-and-run case". "Our teams are scanning the footage of CCTV cameras in the area," he added.

Road accidents are very common in India, with one taking place every four minutes. These accidents are often blamed on poor roads, rash driving and scant regard for traffic laws.

The Indian government's implementation of stricter traffic laws in recent years have failed to rein in accidents, which claim over 100,000 lives every year.