Six persons died after a speeding truck rammed into their SUV in Malda’s Kaliachak on Wednesday night.

Six others were injured in the accident on NH-34 in the Sujapur area. They were headed to Alampur for a wedding.

After being hit by the truck from the rear around 9pm, the SUV went off the road and fell into a roadside swamp. Five persons, including the driver, died on the spot. Locals rescued seven others, including four women and two children.

They were rushed to Malda Medical College & Hospital. Doctors examined them and referred one to Calcutta but he succumbed to his injuries on the way. “The truck has been seized but the driver fled,” Malda SP Alok Rajoria said.

Relatives of Biswanath Ghosh were on way in seven vehicles to attend the marriage of his son Biswajoy, police said.

The truck driver lost control and rammed into one the SUVs from the rear. The dead have been identified as Tapan Mandal, 25, Subodh Ghosh, 50, Bapan Ghosh, 20, Shekhar Ghosh, 28 and Sanoar Sheikh, 35. Dhananjay Ghosh, 50, died on way to Calcutta.