NEW DELHI, March 28 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and 20 others injured Friday after a pickup truck carrying Hindu devotees rammed into a trailer in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

The accident took place on the highway in the Saini police station area of Kaushambi district, about 151 km south of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

The devotees were returning after attending a ritual for their newborn at a temple, a senior police official Rajesh Kumar said.

Immediately after the accident, police and rescue teams rushed to the spot and launched massive relief operations using three earthmovers to clear the debris and pull out survivors. ■