Kozhikode (Kerala): Four persons were killed and one seriously injured after a car rammed into a parked lorry in the early hours of Saturday at Modern Bazar in Ramanattukara, Kozhikode, police said.

The accident occurred at around 3.25 am when the car, travelling from Kozhikode towards Feroke, hit the lorry, which reportedly came from Malappuram and had been parked at the location.

The deceased have been identified as Dhinil of Ramanattukara and Ajeesh, Vimal and Shyamlal, all natives of the Feroke–Farook College area. Five persons were travelling in the car at the time of the crash.

Dhijil of Pantheerankavu, who was also in the vehicle, sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode. Though Shyamlal and another occupant were rushed to hospital with critical injuries, Shyamlal later succumbed, taking the death toll to four.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel from the Meenchantha station said they received a distress call soon after the collision. Local residents initially managed to pull out one occupant, while the remaining passengers, trapped inside the mangled vehicle, were extricated after fire force personnel cut open the car using hydraulic cutters.

All five were shifted to different hospitals, but four succumbed to their injuries, police said. The youths were reportedly returning after attending a festival.

Police have examined CCTV footage from the vicinity to ascertain the exact cause of the accident. A case has been registered and an investigation is under way. The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) will also conduct a separate inquiry into the incident.

The bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their relatives after postmortem examinations, officials added.

(With PTI inputs)