Patna, Dec 16 (IANS) At least four people were killed Tuesday and three severely injured when a train hit a car in Bihar's Nawada district, police said.

The accident took place at an unmanned level crossing near Safiganj halt, about 150 km from Patna. The victims were returning after attending a wedding. The car was hit by the Howrah-Gaya Express train, police said.

"Four people were killed on the spot and three seriously injured. They were admitted to a hospital," a district police official said.

According to police, the injured were in a critical state.

There were eight people in the car and all were from one family, police said.

Rail traffic was disrupted for hours after the accident.

"There are 1,127 unmanned railway crossings in five divisions of the East Central Railway in Bihar and Jharkhand. This is a matter of concern for us," a railway official said here.

Thousands of people and hundreds of vehicles cross unmanned crossings every day in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act and risk their lives.