Dhar (MP) | Seven persons were killed and three injured after a gas tanker collided with a car and a jeep in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place at around 11 pm on Wednesday when the gas tanker coming from the wrong side on a road near Bamansuta village on Badnawar-Ujjain highway.

It hit a car and a jeep heading from the opposite direction, Dhar Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Singh said.

Four persons died on the spot, while three others succumbed to injuries later in hospital, he said, adding the victims belonged to Ratlam, Mandsaur (in MP) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) districts.

Among the deceased were four occupants of the car and three travelling in the jeep, according to police.

After receiving information, senior officials reached the spot.

Local residents helped in the rescue operation during which trapped persons were pulled out of the vehicles using a crane, the SP said.

The injured persons were admitted to a hospital in neighbouring Ratlam district, he said.

The truck driver fled from the spot after the accident.

The deceased have been identified as Girdhari Makhija (44), Anil Vyas (43), Viram Dhangar and Chetan Bagerwal (23), all travelling in the car and residents of Mandsaur and Ratlam, and jeep occupants Bana Singh, Anoop Punia (23) and Jitendra Punia, belonging to Jodhpur, police said