In the United Kingdom, seven people were killed in a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough, where a Volkswagen Passat carrying five people collided with a police car while travelling in the opposite direction. The BBC reports, writes UNN.
Details
The crash occurred at around 03:39 British Summer Time on Saturday on a section of the road in the South Bank area. The Volkswagen was carrying five people aged around 18, while the police car had two officers inside.
All the occupants of both vehicles died at the scene. The police officers killed were identified as 37-year-old Constable Matthew Blades and 38-year-old Constable Tom Clough.
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According to the BBC, shortly before the crash, police had been pursuing the Volkswagen, but the pursuit had ended before the collision because the patrol car was in the South Bank area. The police car was travelling on the correct side of the road.
Investigation into the fatal crash
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller called the officers killed brave police officers who protected local communities.
These were brave officers who protected our communities and served our residents, but they did not return home to their families after the end of their shift
The United Kingdom's Independent Office for Police Conduct has already launched an investigation into the circumstances of the crash. The agency said that, at the preliminary stage, it was aware that police had pursued a suspicious vehicle before the fatal collision.
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Significant emergency service resources were deployed to deal with the aftermath of the crash. The North East Ambulance Service sent 14 crews and other resources to the scene. The A66 was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane, and police said the restrictions would remain in place until the end of the day.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed her support for the police and the families of those killed.
Police officers put their own safety on the line every day to protect their communities. My thoughts are with everyone affected, their families, friends, the emergency services who attended the scene, and the wider police family
The local authorities described the deaths of two police officers and five civilians as an extraordinarily devastating loss for the Teesside community. The IOPC investigation is expected to establish all the circumstances of the pursuit and the crash itself.