"Several dead" in huge fireball crash on British motorway

Nov 5, 2011, 10:49 GMT

London - Several people were killed in a 27-vehicle pile-up on a British motorway in heavy fog, police said Saturday.

The crash on Friday night on the M5 in Somerset, west England, included several heavy lorries, and was 'the worst road traffic collision anyone can remember' according to emergency workers, the Press Association reported.

So intense was the fire from burning cars and lorries that by late morning Saturday, police were unable to determine the exact number of dead, but said there were 'several' fatalities.

Another 43 people were injured, some requiring hospital treatment.

Assistant chief constable Anthony Bangham said a number of passengers were unable to escape from their burning cars, some of which were razed to the ground.

'The incident was very, very challenging and on arrival crews were faced with literally one massive fireball.'

The motorway remained closed Saturday, with plans to reopen late in the evening.

Meanwhile a huge taskforce of police, fire and ambulance crews were at work scouring through the wreckage.

Police said the pile-up occurred during fog and heavy rain.

The crash appears to be one of the worst in Britain since 1991.