Six persons were killed when the Tata Sumo they were travelling in collided with a sand-laden truck on National Highway No. 6 (Mumbai Road), near Sankrail, in Howrah, at 11 am on Sunday.

The victims, except the driver, were all part of a music band and were returning from Haldia, where they held a show on Saturday.

They were all residents of Noapara, in Barasat, North 24-Parganas.

Three of the victims have been identified ? Kuntal Deb, 35, his 14-year-old daughter Sayoni, and Manik Mondal, 30.

Police said the vehicles were speeding towards Calcutta from different directions and collided, after the Sumo driver lost control, on Mumbai Road. Two died on the spot.

Cops from Sankrail police station, helped by local residents, took the victims to the district hospital, where the four others succumbed to their injuries.

A hospital official said the injured were all bleeding profusely when they were admitted. ?Most of them were injured on the left side of the body.?

Superintendent of Howrah police Mihir Bhattacharya said: ?We are yet to know the identity of all the victims. We have contacted East Midnapore police, as the group was returning from Haldia after performing at a musical soiree. We hope the organisers of the event will be able to identify the victims.?