Kozhikode (Kerala) | Four persons died after a car rammed into a parked lorry here in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Dhinil of Ramanattukara and Ajeesh, Vimal and Shyamlal, all natives of Feroke.

Police said another person, identified as Dhijil of Pantheerankavu, who was travelling in the car, sustained serious injuries and was admitted to a hospital.

Officials of the Fire and Rescue Services, Meenchantha station, said they received a distress call at 3.25 am after a car carrying five persons hit a parked lorry at Modern Bazar in Ramanattukara.

Although local residents who initiated rescue efforts managed to pull out one person from the vehicle, the other four were extricated after fire force personnel reached the spot and cut open the mangled car.

All five were shifted to different hospitals, but four succumbed to their injuries, police said.

Police have examined nearby CCTV footage to ascertain the cause of the accident.

A case has been registered and an investigation has been launched, officials said.

The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) will also conduct an inquiry into the cause of the accident, police added.

The bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their relatives after the postmortem, police said.