At least five pilgrims returning from the temple town of Pandharpur were killed in a road accident in Maharashtra's Solapur district on Friday, police said.
Three others were injured in the mishap which occurred in the early hours when the private vehicle carrying a group of pilgrims collided with a speeding tractor on Pandharpur Road at Manjari village in Sangola taluka, around 355km from here, an official said.
While five 'warkaris' (devotees of Lord Vitthal) died on the spot, three others were injured, he said, adding the injured were rushed to Solapur Hospital for treatment.
The 'warkaris' were returning to their hometown in Belagavi in adjoining Karnataka after a visit to Pandharpur in Solapur district, the official said.
Lord Vitthal (also known as Vithoba) is the presiding deity of Pandharpur.
The bodies of the deceased were sent for autopsy and a probe is underway, he added.