Three people were killed and three others injured in a truck-taxi collision on Saturday in Lujiang County, east China's Anhui Province, local police confirmed on Sunday.

The collision occurred when a taxi, carrying four passengers, rushed to the left side of the highway after one of its back tyres exploded at 7:10 AM Saturday. At this very moment, a light-duty truck arrived at the site from the opposite direction and hit at the middle of the taxi, trapping altogether six people inside the two distorted vehicles.

Traffic police and medical workers of Lujiang County rushed to the accident site immediately and rescued the six people from the distorted vehicles. But three people died on the spot due to serious injuries. Three others injured were rushed to the Lujiang County People's Hospital and they are in a stable condition, doctors said.

Local police is investigating the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2005)