Dozens are feared injured after a huge crash involving at least 15 cars near Gatwick Airport this evening.
Police confirmed there are ‘multiple casualties’ after the vehicles collided on the M23 in Sussex between Crawley and Horsham just before Friday’s rush hour.
As it is
The motorway has been shut in both directions after torrential rain and a hail storm hit the area, which one witness said turned the road into an ‘ice rink’.
South East Coast Ambulances are at the scene attending to the injured after being called at 5.40 as Sussex Police urge people to ‘avoid the area’.
Friday night rush hour traffic was brought to a standstill in both directions of the motorway that links London to Brighton between Junctions 10 and 11.
Cause of The Road Accident
The devastating smash occurs as heavy rain continues to lash the south coast.
Photos of the scene show several cars turned about with significant damage and some seem to have been pushed off the road into a nearby ditch.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: ‘The M23 is closed both ways between J10 and J11 after a collision involving around 15 vehicles.
‘Emergency services were called at 5.40pm and the ambulance service is treating multiple casualties.
‘Please avoid the area and expect disruption.’
Number of Victims
The South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed that four people have been taken to hospital with ‘non life-threatening injuries’, The Argus reported.
About 30 people are being assessed for minor injuries at the scene and a triage centre has been set up to treat them.
An eyewitness counted 24 vehicles were damaged in the smash, ITV Meridian reported.
Roger Williams, who was driving down the M23 when the pile-up happened, told The Argus it is the worst he has seen in 62 years.
He told the news outlet it looked like over ’30 cars’ are smashed, with ‘vans on their sides’ and a minibus ‘upside down’.
He added: ‘I counted five facing wrong way after spinning, but the whole carriageway covered in debris.
‘There was a hail storm. The carriageway was covered in two inches of ice and people were speeding through it.’
