Hyderabad,  Four women were killed and three others injured when an over speeding car ran over a group of labourers sitting by the roadside in Telangana's Karimnagar town on Sunday morning.

Four occupants of the SUV allegedly escaped after hitting the labourers waiting on the pavement at Kaman Chowrasta on Karimnagar-Hyderabad highway, police said.

Tragedy struck the daily wagers when they were waiting for work on a Sunday morning. Some of the labourers were also eking out a living by making knives and axes there.

Assistant Commissioner of Police T. Srinivasa Rao said the car being driven at a high speed hit the road kerb and then ran over the group of workers on the pavement before hitting a pole.

While a woman died on the spot, six others were injured. They were shifted to Government Hospital, where three of them succumbed.

Eye witnesses told policemen that none of the occupants in the car were injured and they all escaped leaving behind the damaged vehicle.

Police registered a case and identified the owner of the vehicle. Preliminary investigation revealed that the SUV had eight challans pending against it for over speeding/dangerous driving. The e-challans were issued under the limits of different police stations of Cyberabad, Siddipet and Karimnagar over the last four years.

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims and leaders of opposition parties staged a protest in the town, demanding justice for the affected families.