Seven people have died, including two police officers, in a car crash following a chase in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The two officers have been named as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, Cleveland police chief constable Victoria Fuller said at a press conference.
The incident occurred when a car travelling the wrong way down the A66 collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction, Cleveland Police said.
Five members of the public travelling in the Volkswagen Passat were pronounced dead but have yet to be named.
The police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it has launched an investigation into the fatal crash.
Below is everything we know about the incident so far.
How did the crash occur?
Officers from Cleveland Police spotted a Volkswagen Passat which was acting “suspiciously” and driving on the wrong side of the A66 in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said.
Officers began following the car in South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside before colliding with the car at 3.39am. The A66 was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston as a result of the smash.
Police officers manned both ends of the cordon and the crash site was not visible from the road closures. A large white tent has been erected over the scene, with multiple emergency service vehicles around.
Police have put into effect a drone exclusion zone around the scene of the collision.
The closed section of the A66 is bordered by large industrial units to the north and is close to the major Teesworks site.
What have police said about the incident?
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to hear of the deaths of two police officers and five members of the public in a crash near Middlesbrough in the early hours of this morning.
Chief Constable Victoria Fuller, of Cleveland Police, said the force would co-operate fully with the investigation.
“While this investigation takes place, we strongly urge people to avoid speculation,” she said.
Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman Lauren Somerville added: “Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today.
“Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable.
“Cleveland Police Federation will be offering full support to our fallen colleagues’ families and they have all of our love and care at this time.
“When the time is right we will pay full tribute to our brave colleagues. But we can assure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
What do we know about the victims?
The two police officers killed in this morning’s crash on the A66 have been named as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.
Police are still working to formally identify all occupants of the Volkswagen Passat but have informed the families of those identified and offered them specialist support.
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the crash happened, said: “They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families.
“Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.”
