M5 crash: Search goes on for more bodies

Emergency crews have been continuing to search for bodies in the burnt-out wreckage of the M5 crash that killed at least seven people and injured 51 more.Four private ambulances left the site of the 34-vehicle crash, near Taunton, Somerset, late on Saturday.Police earlier said they feared more bodies could be trapped in wreckage.Officers are examining whether fog or smoke from a nearby bonfire and fireworks event may have been a factor in Friday's crash at junction 25.People concerned about relatives should call the emergency helpline on 0800 092 0410.Avon and Somerset Police said the M5, which is currently closed between junctions 24 and 25, would remain shut in both directions "well into Sunday".Officers said the pile-up, which happened on the northbound carriageway at about 20:30 GMT, had led to a "massive fireball" at the scene.Investigators are looking into what caused the crash, which witnesses said happened as the road was wet and foggy in patches.Witnesses also described how smoke had been produced from a fireworks display at Taunton Rugby Club, near the motorway.The club made no comment on the matter, but confirmed the display had taken place between 20:00 and 20:15 GMT on Friday.Reports on Saturday said more than 10 people were feared dead in the crash, but only seven deaths have been confirmed.Of the injured, 25 were taken to Yeovil District Hospital, 17 of the more seriously injured are being treated at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and nine were treated at the scene.Twenty-three of those taken to Yeovil have since been discharged.Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said it could be some time before the motorway fully reopened.He said: "Once the carriageway is clear a large operation will take place to repair the road surface and clear fuel spillages."Mr Bangham said the issue of whether nearby fireworks events were a factor in the crash was "certainly something we'll be looking at closely".He said: "There are a number of factors that came into play. It was dark, it was particularly poor weather... we had fog banks on the motorway and we also had wet surface issues."There were also other factors coming into play: there were events going on in the evening and of course we need to have a very close look at what was going on in the area that may have caused some sort of distraction."On Saturday, he described the crash scene as "horrific" and said the incident had been "very, very challenging" for emergency crews.He also praised the bravery of members of the public who had tried to help others caught up in the crash."The intensity of the fire - it was a fireball on the carriageway - made it incredibly difficult for people to approach. People did their very best."Police have not confirmed the age or sex of the people killed, but Mr Bangham said four of the casualties had been in one vehicle.Witness Tom Hamill, 25, from Wells, Somerset, described how he helped a woman and her child to safety over the central reservation, in the aftermath of the crash.He said: "We all just tried to get as far away from the fire as possible."Mr Hamill, who had been travelling with his father and girlfriend, said that at the time of the crash he slowed down and veered into the central reservation, which he thought had "saved our lives".He added: "The thing that made me realise how bad it was, was you could hear the thud of cars hitting into lorries: One car overtook us going at about 60 or 70 miles an hour and just crashed straight into a lorry."Transport Secretary Justine Greening said on Saturday it was too early to consider what measures could be taken to prevent similar accidents.She paid tribute to emergency crews, saying there had been "real acts of heroism", and expressed her "deepest sympathies" with the affected families.