At least nine people were killed when a speeding passenger van rammed into a rickshaw and a motorcycle on Kallur Kot Road in Punjab's Bhakkar district on Sunday, DawnNews reported.

The van driver was reportedly speeding when a motorcycle carrying six passengers, including four children, approached the Link Road. The driver tried to overtake the bike but could not act swiftly enough.

Consequently, the van collided not only with the motorcycle but also a rickshaw, in which some 14 people were travelling.

Two children that were on the motorcycle as well seven people in the rickshaw, including its driver, succumbed to the injuries on the spot. The injured were rushed to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, after which those who were in a critical condition were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital.

Duty Officer (Emergency) Naveed Iqbal reached the accident site immediately. Following the incident, the families of all those affected in the crash gathered outside the hospital in large numbers.

The locals protested at the accident site and broke the windows of the van. They also tried to set it ablaze but officials of elite forces as well as police obstructed them and dispersed the crowd.

The van driver has been arrested and an investigation was underway, police said.