Seven people killed after car driven wrong way on dual carriageway in northeast England
Seven people, including two police officers, were killed in a high-speed collision on the A66 in northeast England after a car drove the wrong way. The incident followed a police pursuit of a vehicle occupied by teenagers.
Why it matters
The tragedy has prompted an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into the circumstances surrounding the police pursuit.
Seven people, including two police officers, have died in a crash in northeast England in the early hours of Saturday.
A Volkswagen Passat was travelling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough and collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction, Cleveland Police said.
Two serving police officers in the marked vehicle and five members of the public travelling in the Passat were pronounced dead at the scene after the crash at 3.39am on Saturday. The officers were named as constables Matthew Blades (37) and Tom Clough (38).
Police have also formally identified all occupants of the Volkswagen and have offered their families specialist support. It is believed they were all males in their teens, the BBC reported.
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