AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - At least one person was killed and several others injured when a truck hit a beam on a highway bridge under construction above Interstate 35 in central Texas, causing a collapse that rained debris on vehicles, officials said.

The accident took place in Salado, about 50 miles (80 km) north of Austin, on the major highway that runs through the center of the United States from Texas to Minnesota.

At least three of the injuries are serious, said Texas State Trooper Harpin Myers, who also said there had been a fatality.

The highway has been shut in both directions near the accident.

"The impact of the truck caused several beams to become dislodged and fall onto the roadway," the Texas Department of Transportation said.

(Reporting by Jim Forsyth in San Antonio and Jon Herskovitz in Austin; Editing by Will Dunham, Susan Heavey and Sandra Maler)