Three friends died when the car they were travelling in apparently veered off the Egra-Beta state highway and fell into a pond on Saturday night.

Subrata Jena, 22, Subhadip Burman, 27, both businessmen, and Rajendra Bar, 40, a migrant worker, were returning from a Kali Puja event when the accident occurred at Battala in East Midnapore.

The trio lived in and around the Balighai area in Egra, East Midnapore.

“They had left home around 8pm for sightseeing and had hired a driver. Prima facie, it seems the car was at a high speed and skidded while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle. The spot where the crash took place is fringed with waterbodies on either side,” said a police officer.

According to the police, the driver is yet to be identified and he fled as soon as the vehicle plunged into the water. The car belonged to Subhadip.

“The youths were in the back seat and did not have enough time to escape. It seems the back doors were locked and the youths couldn’t open them because of pressure from water,” said the officer.

The bodies were fished out around 1am on Sunday after local people spotted a portion of the floating vehicle.

Retired bank official and Subhadip’s father, Bibhuti Bhushan Burman, said: “I began to grow worried when my son did not return home by midnight. Shortly after, we heard of a nearby incident involving a car. I went to the spot only to see that it was my son’s car.”

The bodies were taken to the Egra Super Speciality hospital early on Sunday.

“We have started an investigation and will trace the driver of the vehicle soon,” said officer-in-charge of Egra police station, Kashinath Chowdhury.