Seven people have died in the A66 South Bank crash that followed a police pursuit in the early hours of Saturday morning, with the collision involving a Volkswagen Passat travelling against the flow of traffic and a Cleveland Police vehicle. Belfast Telegraph reports that two of the seven people who died were police officers.
The collision occurred at 3.39am on 22 August. The A66 remains closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston, with officers managing road closures at both junctions while a collision investigation is completed.
What Happened on the A66 in South Bank
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it is independently investigating the circumstances of the fatal crash following a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police. In a statement, an IOPC spokesperson said: ‘At this early stage, we understand Cleveland Police sighted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began. The car travelled onto the A66 in South Bank and collided with a police car at 3.39am. We can confirm that sadly multiple people have died in the collision.’
The IOPC declared an independent investigation at 6.03am following the mandatory referral from the force.
A Cleveland Police spokesperson confirmed the vehicle involved was a Volkswagen Passat, saying: ‘Around 3.39am this morning, a collision took place involving a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank. Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities. There are significant emergency vehicles on the scene, and the road will remain closed for some time.’
Cleveland Police added: ‘We are working to identify the victims and contact their families. This is a quickly evolving incident and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation.’
The Pursuit: Just Under Seven Minutes Before Impact
In-car police footage shows the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat entered the A66 travelling against the flow of traffic. That detail, confirmed by the IOPC investigation, gives a clearer picture of how quickly the situation escalated from the initial sighting of a suspicious vehicle to the fatal collision on the dual carriageway.
The IOPC’s involvement means the conduct of officers during the pursuit will be subject to independent scrutiny. The IOPC handles mandatory referrals from forces in cases where deaths occur following police contact, and its investigation will run alongside the collision investigation that must be completed before the A66 reopens.
Emergency Response and Road Closure
14 ambulance resources were dispatched to the scene. A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called to a serious road traffic incident involving two vehicles on the A66 at South Bank at 3.39am on 22 August. We sent 14 ambulance resources at the scene, including emergency ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, our Hazardous Area Response Team and a doctor from Great North Air Ambulance Service.’
The spokesperson added: ‘Sadly despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene. We send condolences to all of those affected by such a tragic event and thank everyone for all they did to help.’
Photographs from the scene show police vehicles blocking the carriageway at the junction with Church Lane. Officers are also stationed at the A66 and Normanby Road junction near Asda, where the road closure begins. According to Yahoo News UK, the closure covers the stretch between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston, and a diversion is in place. Traffic maps showed slight delays at both junctions and at the junction of Normanby Road and Trunk Road as motorists diverted from the A66.
At 8.30am, Cleveland Police confirmed officers were still working to identify victims and contact their next of kin. The exact number of fatalities had not been formally confirmed by the force at that point. The A66 will remain closed until the collision investigation is complete; no timeline for reopening has been given.