Several dead and dozens injured as M5 crash causes 'massive fireball'

At least 16 people are feared dead and 43 injured in the M5 pile-up which is now being described as the worst accident on British roads in 20 years.

The horrific accident, which triggered a "massive fireball" on the northbound carriageway of the M5 near Taunton, Somerset, involved 23 cars and vans and four lorries.

Police sources say 16 people have died but this figure could rise with a number of people still unaccounted for.

The accident at around 8.30pm on Friday night took place during foggy conditions with reports of a number of explosions following the pile-up.

Emergency services worked through the night to free victims but witnesses say the flames shot 200m into the sky and the conditions were trecherous as firefighters using hydraulic-cutting equipment tried to rescue four people trapped in their vehicles. Television footage showed members of the public attempting to pry open car doors to help those stuck inside.

The force of the crash sent debris on to the other side of the carriageway, where tailbacks stretched to junction 22 – about 12 miles away.

Witnesses say the pile-up was triggered when an Iceland truck suddenly disappeared into fog.

Ciara Neno, from Weston-Super-Mare, said: "A black fog came down and the Iceland truck literally disappeared. We managed to brake and miss the lorry but it was too late, the carnage had already started.

"All we heard was thump, thump, thump. My husband dragged people from the cars, the smell was horrendous and there were a number of explosions. We walked away but others weren't so lucky."

Avon and Somerset police confirmed on Saturday morning that the 43 casualties ranged from those with life-threatening injuries to the walking wounded.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said some people had been trapped in their burning cars. A number of the vehicles were incinerated.

"The emergency services have been working tirelessly. The incident was very, very challenging and on arrival crews were faced with literally one massive fireball.

"Most vehicles were well alight and most continued to burn for a considerable time. This made it very difficult to search the vehicles. Some of them have been burned to the ground."

Dr Colin Close, medical director for Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, said it was dealing with a range of injuries including broken limbs and complex chest, abdominal and lung injuries.

He said the hospital had dealt with "nothing of this magnitude ever before", and one surgeon had to be flown by helicopter from the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital to help with emergency surgery. He said all the casualties had been treated and none were in a critical condition. He added: "Everyone is stable."

Yeovil District Hospital said it had dealt with 26 "walking wounded" and had discharged 24 of them by Saturday morning.

"It was a very busy night for us and our staff did really well," said a spokesman.

Paul Slaven, a spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire Service, said the crash was "the worst road traffic collision anyone can remember''. He added: "There hasn't been an incident on this magnitude in Somerset for many years. Many of our firefighters haven't experienced anything like this before.

"'There is a large amount of debris covering the road and a couple of vehicles are still smouldering after being on fire so the police have said the road will be closed for at least 24 hours and possibly more for the carriageway to be cleared.''

Local MP Jeremy Browne, said the "scale of the carnage" was "devastating" and the accident had left the Taunton community "numb".

He said he couldn't speculate on the cause of the crash but that the stretch of road was very familiar to local people and although "it didn't involve any twist and turns, it does get foggy".

Conditions last night were dangerous, he said. It was raining and even when the rain stopped the air was "heavy with mist".

"They were the sort of conditions you don't have to find yourself in when you where you can go through a clear patch and the next minute you are in deep fog," said the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton Deane.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said the only comparable incident was a major crash along a stretch of the M4 near Hungerford in March 1991. It left 10 people dead and a further 25 injured and involved 51 cars.

That accident happened in heavy fog during morning rush hour after a van skidded into the central barrier of the east-bound carriageway.

Sam Jones, from Wedmore, Somerset was travelling home from Plymouth when the accident happened on Friday.

The legal aid, 22, tried to help the trapped motorists but couldn't get close enough because of the extreme heat coming from the wreckages.

He said: "I was about seven cars behind and had to do an emergency stop to avoid it. I suddenly saw these cars weren't moving. I got out of my car to try and help but it was too dangerous. There were lots of explosions and it was too hot to get close to the lorries involved.

"It was scary and it was only until later that I realised there were more cars in front of the lorries. If I was 30 seconds earlier it would have been me.

"The emergency services were fantastic, they arrived on the scene within 10 minutes and kept the situation under control.''

Bev Davis, who had been in a field near the motorway looking after her horses, said: "There was this horrific sound of a horn. The horn was just permanent.

"You knew something had gone on and then the flames were just so high so quickly and the noise was horrific. And then there were explosions, I think probably of tyres going.

"From where we were standing we could only see what was directly in front of us because the flames and smoke were smothering everything. ''

Jon Adair, who passed the crash while travelling southbound, added: "We could feel the heat from inside our car on the other side of the road.

"There were injured people lying on the road and emergency services arriving.''

• The police have set up a special line for concerned relatives and friends but asked people to be patient as it expected it to be busy.

"Before you call this number. please make all attempts to contact them via mobile phones or via friends, family or by any other usual measures," Bangham said. The number is 0800 092 0410.