Five people were killed after the car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a fully-loaded lorry on the Kozhikode-Palakkad highway on Monday morning, police said. Police identified the deceased as Nazeer, Subair, Muhammed Zahir, Asainar and Thahir, all hailing from Palakkad district.

Police sources said that the accident occurred at around 4.45 am at Pulinjode in nearby Ramanattukara and all the five men died on the spot. "All five people in the car died on the spot," said the police inspector who was at the spot.

The Bolero car that hit the cement-laden lorry at a sharp curve was completely damaged in the impact of the collision, Feroke police said.

The deceased were said to be returning from Kozhikode International airport in nearby Karipur.

Though it is yet to be ascertained what caused the accident, sources said there was a heavy downpour at the time of the mishap. The ill-fated car overturned thrice according to the lorry driver whose vehicle the car had finally collided with. The lorry driver told the police that he had done no wrong and the car was travelling at a great speed.

There were reportedly two other vehicles accompanying the car that met with the accident. The police are looking into why so many youths were going and returning from the airport when the accident took place.

The police have taken into custody six other youths who were in the other car and are being questioned. They have also started to look for CCTV visuals and a detailed probe has begun. Preliminary reports point out that liquor bottles were found at the place of the accident.

The police said that local residents had immediately swung into action. They, along with police and Fire and Rescue personnel, took out the bodies from the wrecked car and shifted them to Kozhikode Medical College hospital.