Taunton M5 crash was 'collision between lorry and queuing cars'

The accident happened on M5 near Taunton on Thursday morning

A crash on the M5, in which two people died, happened when a lorry was in collision with a car queuing to exit the motorway, police said.

It happened on the southbound carriageway a mile north of Taunton, at about 08:30 BST on Thursday.

Police said the victims were a man in his 50s, who was a passenger in the car, and a woman in her 40s who was driving a car in front.

Five other people were injured - two of them seriously.

Police said the collision between the lorry and the car "impacted on six other vehicles in front of the car which were also queuing".

The driver of the car hit by the lorry, a woman in her 40s, sustained serious injuries and remains in hospital.

Hundreds of vehicles were caught up in the tailbacks on the M5

A woman in her 20s, who was a passenger in the car in front, was seriously injured and also remains in hospital.

Two women, one in her 50s and one in her 20s, and a teenage boy, received hospital treatment for minor injuries.

Insp Frazer Davey said: "The lorry driver, who was uninjured in the incident, has been spoken to by officers and continues to help us with our enquiries."

He said an investigation by the force's collision investigation unit was being carried out.

"We have also spoken to a number of people who were present during the incident but we continue to appeal to anyone who we haven't yet spoken with to get in touch.

"We're particularly keen on viewing any dashcam footage filmed immediately prior to and of the incident."

Hundreds of vehicles were caught up in tailbacks on the M5 after the crash.

The southbound carriageway was reopened on Thursday evening about 11 hours after it happened.