NEW DELHI, June 27 (Xinhua) -- At least five women have been killed in a head-on collision between a mini-truck and a van in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, police said Wednesday.

The accident occurred at a village near Komarapalayam late Tuesday evening.

"The van transporting workers from nearby villages employed in a private spinning mill was hit by the mini-truck coming from the opposite direction," a police official said.

While three women died on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries at a government hospital where 13 others are being treated, he said.

Eye-witnesses told cops that the mini-truck was travelling at high speed and the driver lost control of the vehicle leading to the accident.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said.

"The mini-truck driver has been booked for rash and negligent driving and a manhunt launched to nab him," he added.