At least 21 people were killed and 20 others injured in a major road mishap in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand Wednesday morning, a senior police official said.

"The 21 dead and 20 injured were of a marriage party. The mishap happened when the bus in which they were traveling rammed into a tree in the state's Dhandbad district, after the driver of the speeding vehicle lost control while negotiating a road. All the passengers were coming from the neighborign state of West Bengal to attend a wedding," he said.

The injured have been admitted to a local hospital, the official said.

Road accident rate in India is among the highest in the world, with at least 100,000 killed each year on the road.