Boys, 7, and 15, killed in M6 crash as Cumbria Police investigate car 'driving wrong way'

The crash involved a Skoda and a Toyota and happened on the M6 northbound near Tebay Services on Tuesday afternoon

A catastrophic motorway collision has claimed the lives of five individuals, including two children, after a driver was reported to be travelling on the wrong side of the road. Cumbria Police were alerted at 4.04pm on Tuesday to a Skoda heading south on the northbound carriageway of the M6 near Tebay Services.

Before officers could reach the location, the Skoda was involved in a head-on crash with a Toyota. The 42-year-old man driving the Toyota, as well as a 33-year-old woman and two boys aged 15 and seven, all from Glasgow, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The 40 year old man from Cambridgeshire behind the wheel of the Skoda also lost his life at the site of the accident. A third boy, aged seven, from the Toyota was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and is in a serious condition.

All six people involved in the crash have yet to be formally identified. Social media images depicted a dark smoke plume above the motorway and extensive traffic queues resulting from the tragedy.

Fire services from Penrith, Kendal, and Shap dispatched four engines to the scene, where they worked for hours. A Cumbria Police spokesperson stated: "The families of those involved are being supported by specially trained officers."

"Officers would like to thank members of the public that assisted at the scene and those affected by the collision for their patience."

"We would also like to thank those that have already been in touch who witnessed or have dashcam of the incident, we continue the appeal to anyone with information or with dashcam to contacts us."

"Anyone with information relating to this incident can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it, quoting incident number 146 of 15 October."

"You can also phone on 101. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."

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