Two children among five dead following crash on M6 motorway in Cumbria

Five people, including two children, have died in a car crash on the M6 motorway.

Cumbria Police said officers were called to the crash on the northbound carriageway near Tebay Services involving a Skoda and Toyota at 4.04pm on Tuesday.

The man driving the Toyota, as well as a woman and two children, all from Glasgow, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cambridgeshire man driving the Skoda was also declared dead at the crash site.

A third child in the Toyota was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle with serious injuries.

Four fire engines from nearby Penrith, Kendal and Shap were mobilised, and fire crews remained at the scene for several hours.

Photographs on social media showed a plume of black smoke rising into the sky above the motorway at the site of the crash.

The images also showed the tailbacks created by the incident, with traffic backed up across all three lanes of the motorway.

Cumbria Police said in a statement: “The families of those involved are being supported by specially trained officers.”

The road reopened early on Wednesday.

Anyone with information relating to this incident can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it, quoting incident number 146 of October 15, or call on 101.

Alternatively, reports can be made via contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.