The M4 in Berkshire was closed in both directions following the single vehicle collision on Sunday afternoon – with one child dead and others passengers left seriously injured, police said
A child has died in a horror minibus crash on the M4 which saw the vehicle overturn on a motorway slip road, police said.
The tragedy unfolded in Berkshire this afternoon, forcing both the eastbound and westbound lanes to close. A number of other passengers were seriously injured in the crash, but no arrests have been made. A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “The M4 eastbound exit slip road onto the A329M at J10 remains closed as we deal with a major incident. Officers remain at the scene after a minibus overturned. This was a single vehicle collision and no arrests have been made.
“Sadly, a child died in the collision and our thoughts remain with the family who are being supported at this extremely difficult time. Other passengers sustained serious injuries, requiring hospital treatment. We would ask motorists to continue to avoid the area. Thank you.”
National Highways reported the incident shortly after 2.45pm. The motorway was closed in both directions between junctions 11 and 8 for several hours, and the slip road remains closed on Sunday night, with officers still at the scene. The highways agency said the road is “expected to remain closed for some time”, with “severe” delays reported in both directions.
The disruption has been made worse by broken-down vehicles within the queues. Congestion is building westbound between Junctions 8 and 9, heading towards Maidenhead and the A308M and A404M. There are also reports of a vehicle fire on the westbound carriageway between Junctions 7 and 8. London-bound vehicles are facing delays of up to 30 minutes, with around three miles of congestion on approach. Diversions have been put in place to manage the disruption.
Images from the site of the crash show around a dozen emergency service vehicles piled up at the end of a slip road, including multiple ambulances, fire engines and several police cars. Thames Valley Police have urged drivers to “avoid the area”, warning that the closure is likely to remain in place “for the foreseeable future”.