New Delhi - A truck overturned in India's western state of Maharashtra on Monday, killing 19 workers and wounding 15, a news report said.

Most of the workers were killed on the scene near western city of Pune, when the iron rods that the vehicle was carrying pierced through their bodies, police told the PTI news agency.

The injured were admitted at a state-run hospital in the region. Police were investigating how the accident took place.

Road accidents take a high toll of lives in India. India accounts for some 10 per cent of the 1.2 million fatal road accidents worldwide each year. (dpa)