LONDON (AP) — Seven people, including two police officers, were killed early Saturday in a head-on collision in northeast England following a pursuit. Cleveland Police said that a Volkswagen Passat carrying five people was traveling the wrong way down the A66 highway near Middlesbrough and collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction. The seven people were pronounced dead at the scene after the crash at 3:39 a.m.
A66道路での正面衝突と被害の全貌
Cleveland Police were investigating the crash, alongside the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is always involved when such incidents take place. The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), said it understood the officers had been pursuing a suspicious vehicle when the accident occurred at 3.39am. It has launched a mandatory investigation and is working with officers from Cleveland police to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. The force confirmed that all occupants of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene.
North East ambulance service said it had been called to a two-vehicle crash and sent 14 units to the scene including ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a hazardous area response team and a doctor from Great North air ambulance service. A spokesperson said that, sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene, while sending condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thanking everyone for all they did to help. The crash marks the first time in 14 years that more than one police officer has died on duty while responding to the same incident.
犠牲となった警察官と地元警察の反応
The two officers were identified as Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said. Police were still working to formally identify other victims. The families of those already identified have been informed and were offered specialist support, police said.
Victoria Fuller added that she had visited the families of both officers to offer our condolences and support
. Fuller said Cleveland police would cooperate fully
with the IOPC investigation. Victoria Fuller urged people strongly to avoid speculation while that investigation takes place. Lauren Somerville, the chair of Cleveland police federation, said that words could not describe the pain the Cleveland police family were feeling that day, noting that their colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts were not, which was just unfathomable, and added that the Cleveland police federation would be offering full support to their fallen colleagues’ families, who had all of their love and care at that time, and that when the time was right they would pay full tribute to their brave colleagues while assuring that their sacrifice would never be forgotten.
独立機関による調査と各界からの追悼
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that he was “devastated” to hear about the loss of life and urged people to avoid speculation at that time. Writing on X on Saturday afternoon, the prime minister, Andy Burnham, said that he was devastated to hear that two police officers had lost their lives while on duty in Cleveland that morning, as well as five members of the public, and that his thoughts were with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland police.
アンディ・バーナム首相は、非常に困難な状況下で対応にあたっている緊急サービスに感謝の意を表明し、現時点では憶測を避けるよう強く訴えた。
Andy Burnham, 首相
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Cleveland police had her support as they worked to identify all those involved, noting that police officers put their own safety on the line to protect their communities every single day, that the two officers were on active duty serving the people of Cleveland, and that her thoughts were with all those affected, their families, friends, the emergency services who attended the scene and the wider police family. Brian Booth, acting national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said that their most sincere condolences went to the families, friends and colleagues of the two police officers, and multiple members of the public, who lost their lives in the tragic incident in Cleveland, and that their thoughts were with everyone affected by it.
Anna Turley, the MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said that her heart went out to every family, friend and loved one now facing the most unimaginable loss following that morning’s devastating accident on the A66, noting that two of the seven people who had lost their lives were Cleveland police officers on duty serving their community who went to work to keep people safe and should have come home to their families, and that their loss would be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served, while adding that she could not begin to imagine how difficult it had been for the emergency services responding to such a devastating incident and thanking every one of them for their courage, care and professionalism.