A group of young men escaped with minor injuries as the car they were in mounted a footpath, smashed through the railings and plunged into a ditch along the Bypass early on Tuesday.

People of the area pulled out six people from the mangled Honda Civic that was partially submerged in Captain Bheri.

The car was lifted out of the water with the help of a crane later in the morning and seized by officers of Pragati Maidan police station.

The accident occurred around 1.20 am ahead of the Chingrighata flyover when the men were returning home from a birthday party in Ballygunge, police said.

The car was moving along the Ultadanga-bound flank. Of the six people rescued, one was the driver who later fled, a traffic police officer said.

Other members of the group were in another car that had crossed the stretch before the Honda Civic. They were called back to take the injured five back home, the police said.

All five are aged between 18 and 21 and they live in Dum Dum, Baranagar and Ballygunge, the police said.

The missing railings of Captain Bheri along the Bypass Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Preliminary investigations revealed the driver was speeding, an officer of Pragati Maidan police station said.

A case of rash and negligent driving has been started against the driver, the officer said.

The accident could be the outcome of two speeding vehicles, the police said. “The car was moving at a very high speed. It skidded from its path and rammed into two fixed benches placed on the footpath as a part of the government’s beautification project along the Bypass,” a traffic police officer said.

“The vehicle did not stop but smashed through the railings and landed in the water,” the officer said.

“I heard a strange noise and saw a car fly and dive into the water,” a man who lives in the neighbourhood said.

The car was partially submerged as the water wasn’t too deep. Cops have found that the car is more than 12 years old and the present owner had bought it second-hand, the police said.

The accident occurred within 24 hours of a similar accident near Patuli early on Monday.

Businessman Sumanta Chowdhury was driving back home when the car rammed into the divider on the Bypass and landed on the other flank.

Chowdhury died on the spot. The police suspect he was speeding when the accident occurred.