NEW DELHI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 women were killed and several others injured Sunday after a tractor carrying them in its trolley skidded off the road and fell into a canal in southern Indian state of Telangana, police said.

The tractor fell into Musi river canal at Valigonda, in Nalgonda district, about 71 km southeast of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.

"Today around two dozen agriculture labourers, all women, were travelling in a tractor trolley. The tractor driver while trying to avoid a head-on collision skidded off the road and plunged into a river canal," a police official said.

"Fifteen women were killed and remaining others were injured in the accident."

According to officials the farm workers were going from Vemulakonda village to adjacent Lakshmipuram village in Valigonda for work.

Police have registered a case and ordered investigations.

Preliminary reports suggest the tractor driver lost control over his vehicle and plunged into canal.

In April this year, nine women were killed and several others injured in a similar accident in the district.

Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Officials say on an average over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents.