Satna, July 6 : In a tragic late-night accident, three young men lost their lives when their motorcycle was struck by an unidentified vehicle on the Satna-Chitrakoot road in Madhya Pradesh.

The incident occurred near Majhgawan Bhatta during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, according to Civil Line Police Station officials.

The deceased have been identified as Deepak Kumar Patel and Saurabh Vikram Karma, both 20 and 25-year-old Ashu Singh.

The trio was returning to Hardua village in Chitrakoot after attending a birthday celebration when the accident took place. Deepak Patel was a resident of Hardua, Chitrakoot; Saurabh Vishwakarma hailed from Utaili village; and Ashu Singh was a resident of Adarsh Nagar New Basti, Satna.

Civil Line Police have registered a case of hit-and-run against the unknown driver and initiated an investigation.

Preliminary findings said their two-wheeler was struck by a speeding vehicle, which fled the scene after the collision, leaving the victims critically injured.

The local residents discovered the accident early Sunday morning and promptly informed the authorities. A police team reached the scene and rushed the victims to the district hospital, where they were declared brought dead.

According to police, Deepak Patel was studying in Delhi and had returned to Muktanagar in the Civil Line police station area to celebrate his birthday, which fell on July 4, with family.

He was visiting his elder brother, Vijay Kumar Patel, a student at a private university. After the celebration, the trio set off for their village.

Senior officers from the traffic and accident response team conducted a preliminary probe and searched the area for CCTV footage. Efforts are ongoing to identify the vehicle involved.

'We are examining all available evidence and questioning potential witnesses. A case has been registered and investigations are ongoing,' said a police official.

The families have demanded swift action. Police have stepped up patrolling along the accident-prone stretch, which has seen several similar mishaps recently.

The bodies were handed over to the families after post-mortem examinations.

/IANS