Jalna, Jul 18 (IANS): At least 7 pilgrims were killed and another six injured when a speeding jeep lost control and plunged into an open well near Tupewadi in Maharashtra's Jalna district on Thursday evening, police said.

According to an official of Jalna Police Control, the accident occurred around 5 p.m. on the Jalna-Rajur highway between Tupewadi and Vasantnagar villages.

As per available information, the jeep-taxi, crammed with around 14 passengers including the driver, was returning from Pandharpur to Rajur after completion of the pilgrimage on Wednesday.

Locals said that the vehicle tried to avoid crashing into a motorcycle, but lost control, jumped off the highway, and plunged into an open well there.

On seeing the tragedy, farmers and villagers nearby rushed to the spot, informed the local Chandanzira Police Station, and launched a massive rescue operation there.

At least 7 bodies were fished out of the well while another six were rescued alive, and attempts are going on to retrieve the jeep-taxi, said the official.

The injured have been rushed to nearby rural hospitals for treatment and the bodies are being sent to the civil hospital for autopsy, while the identity of the victims, the exact causes of the accident and other details are awaited.