Pune, Nov 11 (IANS): Three persons were killed while three others were seriously injured after a speeding container truck overturned on a sharp bend on the old Mumbai-Pune highway near Lonavala, the police said here on Saturday.

The accident occurred when the loaded container truck speeding towards Mumbai attempted to overtake two motorcycles on a bend on the highway, at around 2.30 p.m. on Saturday.

At a sharp turn on a sloping portion of the road between the twin hill-resorts of Lonavala and Khandala, the truck rammed into the two motorcycles, reportedly lost control and overturned on the curve near Hotel Fariyas.

A highway police official who rushed to the spot said that both the motorcyles were crushed under the wheels of the truck, killing three persons, including a man, a woman and a minor girl.

Three others, including the driver of the container truck, were injured in the accident and were rushed to a hospital in Lonavala for treatment.

As per some eyewitnesses, the container truck had allegedly flouted rules that banned plying of heavy vehicles during certain specified hours on the old Mumbai-Pune highway.

A team from Lonavala City Police and the IRB company also rushed to the accident site to clear the vehicles from the highway and ease the massive traffic snarl that trapped many Diwali revellers going to Mumbai.