Seven people have died, including two police officers, in a “devastating”car crash following a chase in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The two officers have been named as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, 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?
Cleveland Police launched a pursuit after spotting a Volkswagen Passat which was acting “suspiciously”, the force said in the aftermath of the fatal crash.
Officers began following the car in South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside before it joined the A66 in the wrong direction and collided with an oncoming police armed response unit at 3.39am. No-one survived the collision.
Fourteen ambulance crews rushed to the scene, including emergency ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a Hazardous Area Response Team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service. Despite their best efforts, all the occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Doorbell footage from nearby Lime Road appears to show multiple police vehicles chasing a car at speed moments before Saturday's fatal crash.
The footage was filmed at 3:36am - three minutes before the Passat collided with the marked police vehicle. However the armed response vehicle, which was travelling in the right direction on the A66, is understood not to have been part of the pursuit.
The A66 was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston as a result of the smash as investigators examined the wreckage. A large white tent was erected over the scene, with multiple emergency service vehicles around.
The closed section of the A66 is bordered by large industrial units to the north and is close to the major Teesworks site.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), confirmed they had launched an investigation into the “tragic incident” following a mandatory referral from the local force.
Nicola Marfleet, IOPC director of investigations, said: “When someone dies following police contact, it is mandatory that the matter is referred to the IOPC. Our role is to establish and examine the circumstances of what happened; this work is already underway, and Cleveland Police is cooperating with our enquiries.”
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 as she urged the public not to speculate on the circumstances of the crash.
“This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland,” she said in an emotional statement delivered outside the force’s Middlesbrough headquarters. “This loss is being felt across our communities, by our police family, and by our partner agencies.
“These were brave officers, protecting our communities and serving our residents. Who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.
“My thoughts, and the thoughts of everyone at Cleveland Police, are with their families, friends, colleagues and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
“Earlier today, the Deputy Chief Constable and I visited Matthew and Tom's families to offer our condolences, support one another, and begin to come to terms with this unimaginable loss.”
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 the crash have been named as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.
The passengers of the Passat have not yet been named, but Cleveland Police said it has offered their families specialist support.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Fuller said: “These were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.”
Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the accident happened, said on Sunday morning the “whole community is reeling”.
She told Sky News: “I want to particularly put on record my tribute to our incredibly brave police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, because we know our police officers every day, every night put themselves into action to protect our communities, to keep them safe.
“And I want to acknowledge their bravery, but I also want to recognise that we’ve lost seven lives tragically and the whole community is obviously in shock and devastation.”