AlHijjah 9, 1432, Nov 5, 2011, SPA -- At least seven people died when dozens of vehicles piled into each other on a motorway in south west England, triggering a fireball that hampered initial rescue attempts, police said on Saturday, Reuters reported. More than 50 people were injured in the Friday evening incident which was described by police as "horrific". They warned the death toll could rise as extensive searches were made of vehicles and the carriageway. "This is a hugely complex operation because of the scale of vehicles and people involved," Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham told reporters. "For a motorway incident, this is just about as big as it gets." About 34 vehicles, including lorries and cars, smashed into each other on the northbound carriageway of the M5 motorway near Taunton, Somerset. Fires broke out instantaneously, in what was described by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service as the worst traffic collision rescue workers could remember. -- SPA
