Bhopal, June 25 (AHN) Four persons were killed and two others seriously injured after a speeding car crashed into the rear of a truck on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district on Thursday, police said.

The accident occurred near Titrod village under Sitamau police station limits when the car, carrying six occupants from Maharashtra's Aurangabad, allegedly lost control and rammed into a truck moving ahead of it.

According to police, the victims were travelling to Delhi to procure mobile equipment and accessories when the accident took place.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the front portion of the car was completely mangled, trapping all six occupants inside the vehicle.

Local residents and passing motorists rushed to the spot and launched rescue efforts. Eyewitnesses said the victims remained trapped inside the wreckage for nearly an hour before they could be pulled out.

Police and emergency services reached the site soon after receiving information and shifted the injured and the deceased to the Sitamau Community Health Centre.

Doctors at the hospital declared four occupants dead on arrival, while two others were admitted for treatment. The condition of the injured is stated to be critical.

The deceased have been identified as Ravindra Kale, Sachin Gangadhar, Rajendra Kovde and Sandeep, all residents of Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

A police officer associated with the investigation said preliminary findings suggested that the accident was caused by excessive speed, although the exact circumstances were still being examined.

“The car hit the truck from behind with considerable force. Four persons died in the accident while two sustained serious injuries. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway,” the officer said.

Police said the truck driver fled the scene along with the vehicle after the accident. Efforts are being made to trace the truck and identify its driver through CCTV footage and other evidence.

The district administration has informed the families of the deceased. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, while police continue to investigate the circumstances leading to the fatal crash.