Two children among five dead in M6 motorway crash

Five people including two children have been killed in a horrific motorway crash with a third youngster rushed to hospital.

Two vehicles were involved in the collision with one carrying a man, a woman and three children, and the other carrying a second man.

Cumbria Police are appealing for witnesses to the fatal collision on the M6 Northbound past Tebay Services yesterday.

The motorway was closed for nearly 12 hours overnight but reopened in the early hours of this morning. 

Pictures shared by drivers on the road show long traffic jams leading up to the crash site where grey smoke can be seen billowing into the air.

A witness described the huge emergency service response to the scene, saying there was 'lots of black smoke'.

The crash involved two vehicles – a Skoda and a Toyota.

The driver of the Skoda, a man from Cambridgeshire, was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

The driver, a man, a woman and two children of the Toyota from Glasgow also died in the horror smash at around 4pm on Tuesday. 

A third child in the Toyota was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle with serious injuries.

Local resident, Chris Isles, said he was around '50 yards' away from the accident on Tuesday and saw black smoke and flames.

The 58-year-old from Kirkoswald, near Penrith in Cumbria, said: 'From where I was, 50 yards further back, it just seemed like a vehicle fire.

'I was parked up and I could see the smoke. It hadn't really happened that long. I literally must have been two minutes behind it happening.

'I got out of my (campervan) and just looked down the line and between the lines of vehicles in front of me, I could see there was quite a big fire that started.

'This was at 10 past four. Less than 20 minutes later the air ambulance was there.'

Mr Isles, who captured a photo of smoke billowing into the sky, was driving home and was expected to take only seven minutes to drive from junction 38 to 39, but said he was stuck in 'standstill' traffic for around three and a half hours.

'I was up near the front. They seemed to have turned everybody back from the back of the queue forward,' said Mr Isles, who is a publican.

'So where we were, we were probably some of the last people to get off. It was about half past seven when we eventually got moved.'

He said he feels 'really shocked' at the incident and is 'thinking of the family of everybody'.

'It's terrible. It never crossed my mind that there would have been five people killed. It's awful,' he said.

The families of those involved are being supported by specially trained officers.

Writing on X shortly after the crash an eyewitness said: 'Something serious happening on the M6 northbound, just passed Tebay services. 

'Loads of blue lights going up the hard shoulder can see lots of black smoke and looks like the air ambulance has just come in as well. I really do hope everyone's ok'.

A spokesperson for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said four fire engines from Penrith, Kendal and Shap were dispatched to the scene.

Crews stayed at the crash site for 'several hours' and used 'two breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet' in their rescue efforts.

A National Highways spokesperson confirmed: 'The incident happened just after 4pm yesterday afternoon on the M6 between junction 38 and junction 39. The air ambulance did attend. 

'As did NWAS, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, Cumbria Police and National Highways traffic officers. 

'The northbound M6 was closed from junction 36 for diversion purposes. The northbound carriageway re-opened shortly before 4am this morning.'

Yesterday a statement on Cumbria Constabulary website read:  'The M6 Northbound is closed from J36 to J39. Officers were called to the incident at 4:04pm today.

'The road may be closed for some time, drivers are asked to seek alternative routes.'