The mishap occurred in Deokali area of Ghazipur, 50 km from Varanasi, when the car carrying the wedding party collided head on with a truck.

All five — Pramod, Sadhna, Pramod’s brother-in-law Rajendra, his uncle Devi Lal and car driver Rajendra — were killed on the spot, said Ghazipur police officers. The bodies were later extracted from the mangled car after cutting open the frame.

The driver and cleaner of the truck, which bears a Varanasi registration number, are absconding.

Pramod, a resident of Varanasi, was a college teacher in Azamgarh district. The bridegroom’s father Madan Lal Srivastava is a retired irrigation department employee. Pramod and Sadhna’s marriage has been solemnised in her village of Bhadsar on Saturday night.