Nileshwar: Three young friends were killed and another person was seriously injured when their car collided with a truck at Choyamkode near Nileshwar in Kasaragod district.

The deceased have been identified as Sreerag (18), son of Rama, a single mother, at Chimmathod in Karinthalam village; K K Kishore (21), son of Kunhikannan and Bindu of Meerkam in Karinthalam; and Anush (27), son of Ganeshan and Usha of Konnakkad in Balal panchayat.

After class X, Sreerag was working as a tipper truck driver. Kishore, who would have turned 22 on December 31, and Anush were operators of earthmoving machines, said Umeshan Veloor, Karinthalam panchayat member.

Binu Kumblapally, the fourth friend, is seriously injured and is admitted to a private tertiary hospital in Kannur.

They were returning after watching the District School Festival at Government Higher Secondary School, Chayoth, 1.5km away from the accident site, said Balal panchayat member and Anush's neighbour Bincy Jain.

"In the afternoon, Anush had called his father to say he had gone to the District Hospital to test his eye and would return home after watching the programmes at the school festival," she said.

Around 8 pm, their Alto 800 collided with a truck transporting laterite stones. The three died on the spot.