Car hits oil tanker on national highway, five killed

Five people were killed and one other injured when a car carrying them hit an oil tanker this morning on National Highway-6 near Deulti in Howrah, a police officer said.

While four of them died on the spot, the fifth person succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital, he said.

During investigation, three identity cards were recovered from the accident site, which showed that the victims hailed from Nalbari district of Assam, he said.

"All six of them, including the driver, were in their mid-20s. The car they were travelling in was hired from a rental agency in Kidderpore," he said.

The police, however, have not been able to ascertain the identity of all the victims.

"We have found contact details on the identity proofs and got in touch with the family members of the victims in Assam, who said they would be reaching Bengal soon. One of them said the men were on their way to Digha from Kolkata," the officer stated, adding that the sixth injured person is still undergoing treatment at the hospital.