Nine people were killed and one injured when an auto-rickshaw rammed into a truck on Karimganj-Tripura National Highway 8 on Thursday morning.

Police officials said the mishap took place at 5 am at Baithalkhal in Karimganj district when the cement-laden truck coming towards Karimganj from Tripura border side collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw.

Except one, all the passengers, mostly women and children, travelling in the auto died on the spot, said a police official.

Police have seized the truck but the driver managed to flee.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem while the injured person is being treated at the hospital.

The identity of the victims is yet to be ascertained.