Three engineering students were killed and two injured when the car in which they were travelling collided with a KSRTC bus near Thonnakal on the National Highway in the early hours of Thursday.
The three, Sharon, 22, a resident of Pallimukku, near Pettah; Unnikrishnan, 21, a native of Kozhikode; and Praveen, 21, hailing from Kannur; along with two others, George, 22, of Tiruvalla; and Jishnu, 21, of Kumarapuram; were on their way back from Varkala when the accident occurred.
The police said the car collided with the Munnar-bound KSRTC Superfast while attempting to overtake another vehicle.
Sharon, who was driving the car, and Unnikrishnan were killed on the spot, while Praveen died a few hours later at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. George and Jishnu are currently undergoing treatment at the medical college.
All five were fourth year automobile engineering students of the Pappanamcode Sree Chithira Tirunal Engineering College.