Kannur: At least four people were killed after a car carrying five passengers crashed into a roadside tree at Kumbham in Kannur late on Friday night.

The deceased have been identified as Kannur natives Shan Siraj and Riswan, Andhra Pradesh native Harsh, and Uttar Pradesh native Param Chethri. Adithya Krishna, also a native of Kannur, sustained critical injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kannur, said Mattannur police.

The accident occurred around 11.15 pm. The car, bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration, is believed to have lost control due to speeding before veering off the road and hitting the tree, according to fire and rescue officials.

"The vehicle is suspected to have been travelling at high speed when the driver lost control and crashed into the tree. Local residents immediately rushed to the scene and removed the three passengers seated in the rear of the car before we arrived," an official from the Mattannur Fire and Rescue Station said.

Fire personnel later used hydraulic rescue equipment to cut open the mangled front portion of the vehicle and extricate the other two occupants trapped in the front seats.

"The car was carrying five people in total. We used hydraulic tools to recover those trapped in the front after reaching the spot," the official said. According to the official, the initial rescue was led by people who had gathered at a nearby club to watch a late-night football match.

"Param Chethri was driving the vehicle," an officer from the Mattannur police station said. "The bodies have been shifted to the Government Hospital in Kannur. They will be handed over to the families after the inquest and postmortem examinations are completed," the officer added.