At least seven people were killed and 20 others injured in a road accident on Kalyani Expressway in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

The accident occurred when a car collided with a bus at Kanchrapara in the Barackpore subdivision of the district. The deceased were all occupants of the car, and the injured are bus-passengers.

"Five people died on the spot and two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital. The deceased were all occupants of the car," IANS quoted Barrackpore Police Commissioner Niraj Kumar Singh as saying.

The bus-passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to a local health centre for treatment, PTI reported.

The police have launched a manhunt for the bus driver, who is absconding after the accident. "We are looking for the driver of the bus," Singh said.

The bus was travelling from the Nadia district to Digha in the east Midnapore district. The occupants of the car were resident of Ranaghat in the Nadia district.