Two men die in M4 collisions
TWO men have died following separate collisions on the M4, police have confirmed. Wiltshire Police said the first incident, involving one car on the eastbound carriageway, happened shortly after 1.30am on Thursday.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene, while another man suffered life-threatening head injuries and was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Two hours later, a second collision happened on the M4 between junction 17 and 18 westbound, involving two articulated lorries, a car and a van.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene and two other men were taken to Southmead Hospital. The fire service was called as one of the vehicles had been carrying propane gas canisters, which were leaking.
Superintendent Phil Staynings, of Wiltshire Police, said: “We had to respond to two truly tragic incidents this morning and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.
“This is a complex incident that put huge pressure on all of the emergency services this morning and will continue to take a considerable amount of time to investigate thoroughly.
“We
appreciate
the
public’s patience on this regarding the closure of the M4 and we are working closely with Highways England to ensure we can have the road back open when it is appropriate to do so.”
He appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the incidents, or had dashcam footage, to contact the force on 101.
The eastbound side of the M4 opened just after midday yesterday but the westbound carriageway was likely to remain closed for the rest of the day. People were being asked to avoid the area where possible due to increased volumes of traffic on surrounding roads.