Seven people died after a collision between a police vehicle and a passenger car near Middlesbrough in northeast England, the local police said on Saturday. Among the deceased were two police officers, the Associated Press reported.
The accident took place at around 3.39 am (local time) on a main road near the South Bank area to the east of Middlesbrough, Reuters news agency cited the Cleveland Police as saying. The collision involved a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66, according to BBC.
According to the Cleveland Police, the Volkswagen Passat was carrying five passengers and was travelling the wrong way down the A66 highway, leading to its collision with the police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction, AP reported.
A spokesperson for the Cleveland Police said the cops were still working to identify some of the victims and contact their families. “Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities,” the spokesperson said, according to Reuters. The North East Ambulance Service too said that “a number of patients died at the scene”, adding that three vehicles were involved in total, BBC reported.
Also Read | 2 injured in gurdwara stabbing in Canada's Edmonton; PM Carney calls attack 'appalling'
‘Quickly evolving incident’: Officials urge public to ‘avoid speculation’
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | 2 injured in gurdwara stabbing in Canada's Edmonton; PM Carney calls attack 'appalling'
‘Quickly evolving incident’: Officials urge public to ‘avoid speculation’
{{/usCountry}}The cops said this was a “quickly evolving incident”, urging the public to “avoid speculation” in regards to the collision.
They said that the street between Normanby Road and Church Lane had been closed in both directions, adding that it would remain shut “for some time", according to the BBC report. The cops asked the public to use alternative routes for commute.
The North East Ambulance Service said 14 "ambulance resources" were called to the scene, with the police stating that there were still “significant emergency service vehicles” at the spot. “We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help,” the service said.