Five dead including two children after M6 motorway crash

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A significant accident on the M6 has resulted in the deaths of two children, two men, and a woman, while another child is currently hospitalized with severe injuries.

Emergency responders arrived at the location of the deadly accident involving a Skoda and a Toyota close to Tebay Services at 4:04 PM on Tuesday evening.

The Skoda driver, a man from Cambridgeshire, was declared dead at the location of the accident. Similarly, the driver of the Toyota was also confirmed dead.

Three people in the Toyota—a woman and her two children from Glasgow—were pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the third child was quickly taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for medical care.

The families of the individuals involved have been notified and are receiving assistance.

The M6 Northbound stayed closed throughout the night but was reopened in the early morning hours.

Chris Isles, a local resident, reported that he was about "50 yards" from the crash on Tuesday when he noticed black smoke and flames rising.

A 58-year-old resident of Kirkoswald, close to Penrith in Cumbria, shared with the PA news agency, “From my position, about 50 yards behind, it looked like just a car fire.”

"I had just parked my car and spotted the smoke. The incident had just occurred; I must have arrived only about two minutes after it happened."

I stepped out of my campervan and glanced down the row of cars. Through the gaps between the vehicles, I noticed a sizable fire had broken out.

"It was just after 4:10. In under 20 minutes, the air ambulance arrived."

Mr. Isles, who snapped a picture of smoke rising into the air, was on his way home and thought it would take him just seven minutes to go from junction 38 to 39. However, he ended up sitting in traffic for about three and a half hours.

"I was positioned close to the front. It appeared that they had redirected everyone from the end of the line towards the front," shared Mr. Isles, who runs a pub.

"We were likely among the last to leave. It was around 7:30 when we finally got on the move."

He expressed that he is deeply surprised by what happened and is keeping everyone’s family in his thoughts.

"It's just horrible. I never imagined there would be five fatalities. It's really tragic," he expressed.

Images shared on social media captured a cloud of dark smoke ascending into the air above the highway where the accident occurred.

If you have any details about this incident, please share them online by referencing incident number 146 from October 15, 2024.