Hyderabad, Jan 5 (IANS): Three persons, including two children, were killed and four others injured when a speeding van rammed into a parked auto rickshaw in Telangana’s Mahabubnagar district on Friday.

The accident occurred near Balanagar crossroads on Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway.

The victims were daily wage workers from nearby tandas who had come to the weekly market at Balanagar for buying vegetables and other essentials.

When they were about to return home, a speeding van hit the auto rickshaw in which they were sitting.

The injured were shifted to a hospital and their condition is stated to be critical. They include a person who was riding a motorbike.

According to eye-witnesses, the van driver’s negligence led to the accident.

A mob smashed the window panes of the van and set it afire. Blaming police for failing to properly manage the traffic, the protestors locked up a police official in a shop.

The accident and the protest by locals led to tension and a huge traffic jam on the highway.