BEIRUT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed in a traffic accident midnight Wednesday after a pickup truck overturned on the Wadi al-Zina road in central Lebanon's Chouf District, the Lebanese Civil Defense said.

A Lebanese security source told Xinhua the crash occurred after the vehicle suffered brake failure, causing it to collide with several cars.

Rescue teams worked through the night into the early hours of Thursday to recover the victims' bodies and transfer them to nearby hospitals, the Civil Defense said.

An investigation has been launched into the accident, it added.