40 people injured in 26-vehicle crash on M5; 7 suffer 'life-changing injuries', several feared dead
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[b][i]Thread title is out-of-date, new counts have been released.[/i][/b]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15606278[/url]
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[b][i]Thread title is out-of-date, new counts have been released.[/i][/b]
• 51 people have been injured and 7 killed in a 34-vehicle crash on the M5 in Somerset, England.
• The crash involved several lorries and multiple vehicles caught fire and lead to a "massive fireball" according to Police.
• The M5 between junctions 24 and 25 will remain closed until at least Sunday morning.
[quote=BBC News][b]Seven people have been killed and 51 injured in a 34-vehicle pile-up on the M5 in Somerset, police have confirmed.[/b]
Officers said Friday night's crash, which happened close to junction 25 northbound at about 20:30 GMT, led to a "massive fireball" at the scene.
The cause of the crash is not clear but the road was wet and foggy in patches.
People concerned about relatives who may have been involved in the crash should call 0800 092 0410. Police have said the death toll may rise.
Earlier reports said more than 10 were feared dead and officers said some bodies may not yet have been recovered from the charred vehicles.
[b]'Horrific scene'[/b]
Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: "My deepest sympathies are with the families affected by this tragic incident.
"I would like to thank the rescue workers and emergency staff who worked throughout the night to help the injured."
The motorway is closed between junction 24 for Bridgwater and junction 25 for Taunton and will remain shut until at least Sunday morning.
Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, of Avon and Somerset Police, appealed for witnesses to contact the police to aid what he said would be a "very thorough investigation" into the crash.
He said the crash scene was "horrific" and there would now be a multi-agency "forensic examination" of the area, where many vehicles were burned to the ground.
"The incident was very, very challenging and on arrival crews were faced with literally one massive fireball," he added.
"Most vehicles were well alight and most continued to burn for a considerable time."
[b]Heavy queues[/b]
Police could not confirm the age or sex of the dead, but Mr Bangham told reporters four of the casualties were in one vehicle.
Motorists who used the road before the crash said there was standing water on parts of the carriageway, following a day of heavy rain in the county.
Police said they would be investigating whether appropriate safety measures were in place regarding a fireworks display which was taking place at Taunton Rugby Club near the motorway.
Traffic is being diverted via the A38 but heavy queues are reported on the route and police are advising people to avoid the area entirely if possible.
North Petherton Carnival, which was due to be held just to the north of the crash site on Saturday night, has been cancelled as a mark of respect.[/quote]
In a way its amazing, but awful.
that must suck
I'm surprised something this bad hasn't happened before.
i hope i won't be hearing about any relatives tomorrow morning...
Holy shit that is a major crash. I can't remember hearing of a crash with that many people injured in a very long time.
It says something that a former fire fighter says seeing a crash like that is one of the worst things he's seen.
holy shit
Reminds me of [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/990988[/url]
But obviously, this got almost no media coverage outside the Iberian Peninsula.
Holy shit. That's a lot of cars. Hope everyone is going to be ok <3.
Have they found out how it actually happened?
I think all I can say is "how the fuck"
[QUOTE=squids_eye;33128090]Have they found out how it actually happened?[/QUOTE]
Its the UK, expect hours if not days of investigation before they can even get close to agreeing what happened.
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15603124[/url]
Police have confirmed that "several" people have died, though said they couldn't give a number yet. Also 27 vehicles, not 26 were involved in the crash
Reminds me of the crash on the autobahn
[url]http://www.nowpublic.com/world/germany-autobahn-pileup-259-car-crash-66-injured-no-deaths[/url]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15606278[/url]
OP updated with the new count: 7 dead, 51 injured in 34-vehicle crash
Don't clean up the vehicles,i want to explode them!
Hope no one here is affected.
oh shit
Too many large trucks in one area, that shit always scares me when I'm on the freeway.
Wasn't it caused by lack of visibility due to fog?
I think i heard that there was a firework display nearby, that could have caused a distraction with light, smoke and all. Let's just hope that if it was, health and safety don't dive in on this.
It's bonfire night here so it makes sense
i heard this on the radio today, pretty grim
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