Ratlam/Indore: Five persons were killed after a speeding car veered out of control, crashed through the barrier on an expressway, and fell into a ditch in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district on Friday, police said.

The accident occurred in the morning on the eight-lane Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in the Rawti police station area, about 30 km from the district headquarters, Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar told PTI.

"The car was heading towards Mumbai from Delhi. The vehicle broke the expressway barrier after the driver lost control and plunged into a ditch," he said.

The official said the vehicle appears to have been speeding as it smashed a strong aluminium barrier before hitting the ditch.

Five people, including a 15-year-old boy and a 70-year-old man, were killed in the crash, he said.

"We suspect the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, causing the accident," Kumar said.

Bodies were retrieved from the ditch and sent for post-mortem, and a detailed investigation is underway, he added. (PTI)