The deceased included two children aged 8 and 13 and two elderly persons, the police said, adding two other children were seriously injured in the accident that took place around 2.30 am in Badhada village under Savarkundla rural police limits.

The driver of the truck, which was modified to include a crane, lost control after dozing off while driving and ploughed into the roadside hut in which 10 people were sleeping, said Amreli Superintendent of Police Nirlipt Rai.

The truck was going from Rajkot to Jafrabad in Amreli district when the accident took place, he said.

The two injured children, aged 3 and 7, were rushed to Amreli civil hospital for treatment. The bodies were also sent to the hospital for postmortem, the official said.