Four persons were killed when the speeding car in which they were seated collided head-on with a speeding bus at Marishda in East Midnapore on Thursday.

Police said the deceased — Suman Ghosh, Tapas Karmakar, Subham Saha and Subhankar Ghosh — were residents of Nadia in the age group of 25 to 32 years. They were headed to Digha when the accident took place.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the incident saying her administration would stand by the families of the victims and financial assistance would be provided to them according to the norms.

“I am saddened to hear that four persons have died due to a road accident in Marishda in east Midnapore this morning... The district administration would extend all assistance (to the families) and all required steps are being initiated. The state government would provide financial compensation to the families of the victims as per norms...,” the chief minister wrote on X.

Local residents said that the speeding car lost control and rammed into a bus that was also moving fast. The car crashed and went under the body of the bus.

Bystanders rushed to the spot but could not help much as the car stayed stuck.
Police arrived at the spot with a crane to pull out the car. Later, a gas cutter was used to bring out the bodies of the victims.

All the passengers in the car died on the spot, police said. Some passengers of the bus who sustained injuries were rushed to a hospital in Contai. Most of the injured were released after primary treatment.

Later, the chief minister said from an election rally in Haldia that many tourists visit Digha these days and that’s why some accidents were taking place on the national highways leading to the tourist spot. “The police have been asked to take steps to control the speed of vehicles,” she said.