Three children among five killed as stolen car smashes into tree
THREE children were among five people killed when a stolen car smashed into a tree, leaving a scene of “complete carnage”, according to UK police.
A 12-year-old, two 15-yearolds, a 24-year-old and a 28-year-old died after the single-vehicle accident in Leeds, Yorkshire.
Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene and three died a short time later in hospital.
All those who died were male, said the police, who confirmed that a further two 15-year-olds had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remained in custody.
Three of the victims have been named locally as brothers Ellis and Elliott Thornton and Darnell Harte, who is thought to have been 15.
The crash, which involved a Renault Clio, happened at 9.54pm on Saturday.
One of the mothers of the deceased was visibly distressed at the scene of the crash yesterday afternoon.
The vehicle had been removed from the scene by mid-morning but a large gash could still be seen on the tree.
Police had cordoned off a 400 metre section of the treelined street, which is about 5km north of the city centre and lined by semi-detached houses and grass verges.
A police spokesman said officers were confronted by a scene of “complete carnage” when they arrived.
He said that just one vehicle had been involved, but it was not yet clear whether the five victims and two suspects had all been in the car.
“Whether they were all in the car or whether some of (the victims) were pedestrians, we can’t say at this point in time.
“We’ve got the road closed, an investigation is in place and we’re trying to find out what’s occurred.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Griffiths, who is leading the investigation, said: “This is clearly a tragic incident in which five young people have lost their lives. We are currently investigating the exact circumstances of what happened.”
People living in streets around the crash scene said all they knew of the incident was hearing a loud bang followed soon afterwards by sirens as the emergency services arrived at the scene.