Three people were killed and three seriously injured when a Maruti Omni rammed into a stationary private bus on Jessore Road, near Dum Dum Park, late on Sunday.

The injured, including the driver of the car, were admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Their condition was stated to be critical.

The mishap occurred around midnight. ?It was a case of reckless driving. The driver of the car, which was heading towards Shyambazar, lost control of the vehicle and hit the bus, which was parked on the side of the road,? said Praveen Kumar, superintendent of police, North 24-Parganas.

The car got stuck under the chassis of the bus. Firemen had to use a gas cutter to drag out the dead ? identified as Pradyut Roy, 24, from South 24-Parganas; Ranjan Mandal, 22, from Baduria, in North 24-Parganas and Prabin Chakraborty, 24.

The six passengers of the car were returning home after a drinking session. The driver, 26-year-old Bapi Pahari, was reportedly drunk.

The six lay unattended for over an hour before some passers-by informed a local motor repairing garage of the mishap, said an officer of the Dum Dum police station.

The local residents, however, failed to rescue the injured men.