HOUSTON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people were killed and three others injured in a traffic accident when a church bus and a pickup truck collided in the U.S. state of Texas on Wednesday.

The accident occurred around 12:20 p.m. local time (1620 GMT) on Wednesday outside a state park, about 120 km west of San Antonio, a city in central Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The church bus, which was carrying 14 passengers from First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, was travelling south on Highway 83 in central Texas when it had a head-on collision with a pickup truck, in which there was only a driver.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety said the injured were rushed to a hospital for treatment. But it was not clear if the driver of the pickup truck was among the dead.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot said he and his wife, Cecilia, extended their "deepest condolences to the victims and the families of those involved in today's tragic event." He said they were "saddened by the loss of life and our hearts go out to all those affected."

The Texas Department of Public Safety has begun its investigation into the crash. The exact cause of the accident is not clear yet.