Four killed and five injured in head-on crash

Three teenagers and a man in his 50s have been killed in a head-on collision between a taxi and a car, police have said.

The drivers of both cars are among those who died, while five passengers were also injured in the crash, which happened at about 00:45 GMT on Wigan Road, Bolton.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the taxi driver was in a dark Citroen, while the three teenagers – two aged 18 and the other 19 – were in a red Seat.

Neelam Khan, who lives with her family nearby, told BBC North West Tonight that she saw the aftermath of the crash on the road, “which was quite disturbing”.

She said debris was “everywhere, which was quite scary”.

Firefighters used cutting equipment to remove people from the car with five passengers taken to hospital for treatment.

GMP’s Ch Insp Helen McCormick described it as a “devastating incident”.

“This was a particularly challenging scene for colleagues in the emergency services and I want to thank the first responders.”

Mother-of-two Khan said other crashes had happened on the road, with drivers hitting cars parked on the sides.

“I don’t understand how people don’t learn from previous accidents and this is probably the worst one yet,” she said.

“It’s probably only going to get worse if nothing happens so maybe the police and council need to do something about it.”

The number of crashes meant she and her husband were considering moving to a quieter area, she added.

“This is why we park at the back of the house now because we just know there’s always going to be accidents on this road.”

McCormick said the collision was “a tragic reminder of the importance of safety on our roads”.

The number of serious and fatal collisions in Bolton had “massively reduced…but we’ve all got much more to do,” she added.

“One incident is one too many and they’ll do nothing to bring back the four lives lost here today.”

The casualties have yet to be formally identified.

Councillor Ayyub Patel, who represents the local ward of Rumworth, told BBC Radio Manchester that the victims’ relatives were “devastated”.

“The community was waking up to this very sad news, they are shocked – the mood is sombre.

“Any loss of life in any family is devastating news and to wake up to such tragic news is more so than expected.

“If it’s expected, you know what’s coming but if it’s not expected, then obviously it’s a shocking experience.”