At least 17 people were killed and 15 others injured when a tipper truck carrying Dussehra revellers overturned near Dasamantapur in Orissa’s Koraput district on Friday.

Superintendent of Police Anoop Sahu said the accident occurred when around 40 people were returning home this morning in the tipper after watching a ‘jatra’ (folk theatre) in a nearby village.

The victims, including women and children, were crushed beneath the vehicle after it overturned and local people had to pull out the victims, Sahu said.

While 17 people were killed, the injured were admitted to nearby hospitals, he said, adding, 10 of the seriously injured people were shifted to the district headquarters hospital here.

The victims belonged to Bedhapadar, Mangalaguda, Bangaguda and Sembitotaguda villages under Dasamantapur police station.