Four youths, aged between 21 and 25 years, died after a car fell into a ditch near Usha Martin School in Patna’s Gopalpur area on Friday.

Two of them were identified as Ranjit from Fatuha area and Sumit from Beur. The other two are yet to be identified, said the station house officer of Gaurichak police station under which the accident site falls.

“The car, a white coloured sedan, was on its way from Patna to Masaurhi on the city’s outskirts. It seems the car was speeding. The driver, apparently, did not notice a sharp turn near the school. The car plunged into a ditch filled with water. The men could not get out in time and the car drowned, killing them,” the officer said.

“The police came to know of the incident around 4am, when a passing police patrol vehicle noticed the almost-drowned car. A crane was requisitioned to pull the car out and the bodies extricated.

“Family members of those identified were contacted and the bodies handed over after post-mortem. The police are trying to ascertain the identities of the other two.

“The family members will be questioned for details that could help piece together the incidents before the car plunged into the ditch. More details will emerge after the post-mortem report arrives,” another police officer said.