The infant died on the spot and his mother was rushed to a nearby hospital (Representational)

An eight-month-old boy was killed and his mother severely injured after they were hit by an ambulance outside their house in Rajasthan's Kota district on Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred around 7 am in Sarowar Nagar area in Itawa town, 80 km from the district headquarters. The boy, Ritesh Prajapati, was playing outside the house and his mother, Komal Prajapti, 28, was sitting nearby, an officer said.

Ramnarayan Sen, the driver of the ambulance and their neighbour, started the vehicle without realising that it was in gear. As a result, the vehicle started moving with speed and hit the child and the woman, Itawa police station in-charge Anand Yadav said.

The infant died on the spot and his mother was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the doctors referred her to another hospital in Kota town, Mr Yadav said.

Sen has been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for negligent driving.