A speeding truck driver ran over and killed at least 12 Hindu pilgrims on Tuesday who were sleeping on the side of a busy road in northeastern India, police said.

Four women were among the victims while a further 18 others were injured in the pre-dawn accident on a national highway in the Aurangabad district of Bihar state.

Upendra Kumar Sharma, superintendent of police for Aurangabad, said more than 50 pilgrims were resting up for the night after visiting a temple in neighbouring Jharkhand state when the lorry driver lost control.