New Delhi  - At least 11 people were killed and 16 injured when a train rammed into a bus at an unmanned railway crossing in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, police said Sunday.

The accident occurred in the Budaun district, 260 kilometres north of state capital Lucknow, on Saturday evening.

"Nobody in the train was injured. Four bus passengers were killed on the scene while others succumbed to the injuries later at nearby hospitals," local police chief Durgesh Mishra said over telephone.

Police said the bus was carrying passengers returning home from a wedding party. The death-toll was likely to rise as four of the wounded were in a serious condition.

"The accident happened due to the bus-driver's fault who was in a hurry to cross the stretch. He fled the scene and we are searching for him," Mishra added.

Scores of people are killed in accidents at unmanned railway crossings in India every year.

Although the number of accidents involving trains has dropped in recent years, collisions at unmanned crossings are still reported regularly. dpa