JINAN - Three people were killed and six others injured when a dump truck overturned and crashed into a shack with its load of stones in east China's Shandong Province early Thursday, local authorities said.

The accident happened at 2:40 a.m. in Licheng District of the provincial capital Jinan, the city's emergency response office said in a press release.

The dump truck fell over on its side while swerving at a crossing. Large quantity of stones flew out and crashed into a prefabricated shack where nine migrant workers were sleeping, the document said.

It said traffic police officers in Licheng District forced into the shack and rescued six injured workers.

As of 6 a.m., police had retrieved three dead bodies.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.