Two teenagers have died and three other left seriously injured after a car crashed in a ditch on a rural road in Flevoland.

Police said the white Volkswagen Golf left the road on a shallow bend of the Noordermeerweg, between Rutten and Lemmer, at around 1.30am on Sunday. No other vehicle was involved.

Police, ambulances and fire crews from Flevoland and Friesland rushed to the scene of the accident, which is on the border between the two provinces.

Debris from the car was scattered over an area of 20 metres from the spot where tyre marks showed the vehicle had gone straight off the road instead of rounding the corner.

All five victims were aged between 18 and 19 and from the nearby fishing village of Urk. Local media reported that the two young men who died were cousins.

Urk’s mayor, Bart Jaspers Feijer, said the close-knit community felt the pain of the incident “deep in its heart”. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, friends and everyone touched by this dreadful accident,” he said.

“Young people with a future have abruptly lost their lives. Many of us feel the grief and helplessness that this incident brings with it. There are no words that can ease this suffering.”

Police are investigating the cause of the crash and have asked witnesses or anyone who saw the car travelling from Urk towards Lemmer to contact them.