A mystery surrounds the deaths of two teenagers after a car they were in plunged from a bridge over the M1 and struck a passing minibus in a thousand-to-one tragedy.
The pair, who have not been named, were travelling along Gilmorton Lane, towards Lutterworth, Leicestershire, when the blue vehicle somehow careered off the bridge approaching Junction 20.
In a twist of fate the vehicle collided with a white Fiat Ducato travelling southbound, killing the teenagers and injuring the minibus’s four occupants.
Emergency services were alerted at 1.33pm on Friday and rushed to the scene, but the two teenagers were sadly declared dead.
Four people travelling in the minibus were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The male driver was discharged, while three women remain in hospital.
It is unknown at this stage how the tragedy unfolded, with pictures not appearing to show any obvious damage to the guard railings on the sides of the overhead bridge.
The M1 was shut overnight, with police warning the carriageway was ‘likely to remain closed for a number of hours’. The road was reopened in both directions shortly after 2am.
Aerial images showed the devastation after the incident, with debris strewn across the road and long queues of stationary traffic.
The wreckage of the overturned car was left on one side of the bridge, while the minibus turned onto its side in the force of the collision and skidded to a halt on the other.
Two lorries which were also passing under the bridge at the time remained at the scene into the night as specialist officers collected forensic evidence.
Some families travelling during the busy Friday afternoon rush and the school Easter holidays were stuck on the motorway for more than six hours as emergency services carried out their complex work.
Traffic delays were made worse as the motorway near to the East Midlands Airport also shut due to oil and fuel spillages.
Leicestershire Police said: ‘Fire and Rescue Services and the East Midlands Ambulance Service attended the scene.
‘The road is likely to remain closed for a number of hours yet while forensic work continues to be carried out.
‘Leicestershire Police would like to hear from anyone who was driving on Gilmorton Lane or on the M1 in the area of junction 20 – in both directions – at around 1.30pm on Friday afternoon.
‘Please contact us on 101, quoting incident number 308 of 10th April or visit https://leicspolice.link/7LXmr.’
The National Highways said: ‘Due to an earlier collision involving a car and a van the M1 was closed in both directions at 13:35 to provide a safe and sterile working environment for Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance Service at the scene.
‘Accident investigation is now underway, and it is expected that this will be a protracted closure.
‘National Highways Traffic Officers are dealing with traffic management.’
Drivers are being urged to avoid the area, as traffic is being caught within the closures currently being turned around and directed via the previous slip exit.
Distressed families with children shared their frustration on social media, saying they had ‘no communication’ from emergency services.
But others criticised those sharing their frustration, pointing out the tragedy had resulted in two deaths.
One mother-of-two, Grace Victory, complained on Instagram: ‘Latest update is 10pm to get us moving.
‘I’ve now cried because I just don’t know what to do. Two kids. No water left. No snacks left. It’s their bedtime so they are absolutely losing it.
‘No communication from police or the highways agency. People are having to now walk up and get answers. There’s babies here. There’s other kids here. I just cannot believe it.’
She later added: ‘We are cold. We are tired. We are getting no communication from emergency services.’
