PATNA: Two persons were killed and six others injured in an accident at a construction site of the Patna Metro Rail, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place inside a tunnel dug close to the Patna University campus late on Monday, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajeev Mishra said.

"A pick-up van was coursing through the tunnel where its brakes failed, causing it to plough into a group of construction workers,” Mishra told reporters.

"Two persons died on the spot, while six were taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries,” he said.

A statement issued by the district administration said the deceased include the driver of the pick-up van and a construction worker, both of them hailing from Odisha.

The injured were undergoing treatment at a private hospital, where one of them was in a critical condition and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), it said.

A three-member team of officials has also been set up to investigate and identify the cause of the accident, and come up with suggestions to enforce safety measures.

The team, which includes the ADM (Law and Order) and the Labour Commissioner, visited the site of the accident where officials of the Patna Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (PMRCL) have been camping.

Earlier, it was claimed by a PMRCL spokesperson that all the injured persons had been discharged from hospital after treatment.

The authorities, however, were tight-lipped on the charge, made by some eyewitnesses, that "no engineer or supervisor" was inside the tunnel when work was underway.