New Delhi, April 18 (IANS): Three students of Jawaharlal Nehru University were killed Friday in the campus when their motorcycle hit a divider and then a tree, police said.

The accident took place at 2.30 a.m. in front of vice chancellor's lodge situated near east gate of the JNU campus in south Delhi.

The dead - all in their 20s - have been identified as Ravi Singh Chaudhary, Ravi Shankar Gupta, both residents of Gaya in Bihar, and Santosh, who hailed from Ranchi.

One was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and the other two were taken to Safdarjung Hospital. However, a police official said that one of them had died on the spot, while the other two succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

The official said the students were pursuing their Masters in Korean language and were residing in Chandandhara, Kaveri and Tapti hostels in the JNU campus.

The police officer denied the three were intoxicated.

"The medial examination of the deceased has confirmed that they were not in a drunken state. It has been confirmed that they were riding the bike in a high speed. Their bike slipped and the one driving it lost control over it leading to the accident," said the official.

"Initial investigation revealed that the deceased used to study till late night like other JNU students. At the time of the incident they were going to have tea from a nearby famous eatery," said the official.

According to the official, at late night most of the students would ride their bikes in a high speed in the stretch near the accident spot - a fact that has become a matter of concern for JNU authorities.