Speeding jeep kills nine children on way home from school in India

Victims aged between 10 and 14 hit by vehicle

The speeding vehicle ran the children over at a crossing near their school in Bihar state (File photo/Google)

A jeep ploughed into a group of schoolchildren in eastern India, killing nine and injuring 10, police said.

The speeding vehicle first hit and injured two adult female pedestrians on Saturday, police officer Vivek Kumar said.

It then hit the children as they were leaving their school on the outskirts of Muzzafarpur, a town in Bihar state.

The children were aged between 10 and 14, he said.

The injured schoolchildren and women were taken to a nearby hospital, some of them in critical condition.

More than 110,000 people are killed annually in accidents on India’s roads. Most crashes are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles.

Muzzafarpur is around 40 miles north of Patna, the state capital.

Associated Press contributed to this report