NEW DELHI, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and six others seriously injured in a major road accident in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Saturday, police said.

"The accident occurred when a passenger van collided head-on with a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction on the busy National Highway number 200 near Baunsadola in the state's Jajpur district," local police official S.K. Das told the media.

The accident was so severe that the van carrying 10 people, including its driver, got mangled. "Three persons died on the spot while one succumbed to his injuries on the way to a nearby government hospital," the official said.

The death toll may go up later in the day as the condition of six other injured, who have been shifted to another hospital in nearby Cuttack city, are said to be serious, he added.

Eye-witnesses told cops that the truck was travelling at high speed and the driver lost control of the vehicle, while overtaking another truck, leading to the head-on collision with the passenger van coming from the other side.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said.

"A manhunt has been launched to nab the truck driver who fled the spot after the accident, leaving the vehicle behind. He has been booked for rash and negligent driving," he added.

India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. Road accidents occur mostly due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.