Pune, Mar 11 (IANS): At least 11 persons, including four couples and a child, were killed on Saturday when the minibus they were in swerved and rammed into a truck after a wild boar suddenly appeared before the vehicle on the Pune-Solapur road.

According to Pune Highway Control official P.J. Rajguru, the couples were proceeding on a pilgrimage to Akkalkot in Solapur district when the accident occurred around 4 a.m. near Uruli-Kanchan village, around 35 km from here.

"From preliminary investigations, we have found that a wild boar suddenly came in front of the minibus, the driver swerved to avoid the animal, climbed onto the road divider and banged into an oncoming truck," Rajguru said.

The minibus belonged to Tempo Travels Co. and all the victims were from Mulund east, a suburb in north-east Mumbai, he added.

The deceased have been identified as: Vijay Kale and Jyoti Kale, Jagdish Pandit and Shailaja Pandit, Pradeep Avchat and Sulabha Avchat, Jaywant Chavan and Yogita Chavan, and their daughter Revati.

The driver Ketan S. Pawar and another person Yogesh Lokhande were also killed.

The bodies of the victims have been sent to Pune Hospital for autopsy.