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| M1 victims were mother and family | M1 victims were mother and family |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Four of the five people killed in a head-on crash on the M1 in Bedfordshire were related, police have said. | Four of the five people killed in a head-on crash on the M1 in Bedfordshire were related, police have said. |
| The driver of a Polish-registered Volkswagen Passat was travelling in the wrong direction just before the smash near Dunstable, police believe. | The driver of a Polish-registered Volkswagen Passat was travelling in the wrong direction just before the smash near Dunstable, police believe. |
| A police spokeswoman said three of the victims in a Jaguar were a mother and her son and daughter, believed to be in their 20s, from the London area. | |
| The fourth is believed to be an uncle. Police are informing next of kin. | The fourth is believed to be an uncle. Police are informing next of kin. |
| The spokeswoman said names will be released after all relatives have been contacted. | The spokeswoman said names will be released after all relatives have been contacted. |
| She added Bedfordshire Police were talking to colleagues in Poland to inform the family of the death of the Passat driver, who is believed to be Polish. | She added Bedfordshire Police were talking to colleagues in Poland to inform the family of the death of the Passat driver, who is believed to be Polish. |
| Police have confirmed that the four members of the same family were believed to be Asian and part of an extended family. | |
| They are trying to contact as many of the family members as possible before releasing their names. | |
| The victims had been at a family gathering in the Midlands and were returning home when the crash happened. | |
| Post-mortem examinations are expected to begin tomorrow. | |
| Vehicle examiners will also examine the wreckage of both vehicles. | |
| Traffic investigators are expected to take several days to complete their investigations. | |
| The accident happened on the southbound carriageway just south of junction 11, near Dunstable. | |
| All five victims were pronounced dead at the scene. | All five victims were pronounced dead at the scene. |
| The cars were unrecognisable and there was nothing that could be done for the people involved Gary Sanderson, East of England Ambulance Service | The cars were unrecognisable and there was nothing that could be done for the people involved Gary Sanderson, East of England Ambulance Service |
| The accident had been cleared shortly before 0500 BST and the motorway is open to traffic. | The accident had been cleared shortly before 0500 BST and the motorway is open to traffic. |
| Insp Colin Bonner, of Bedfordshire Police, said he had no idea why the Passat had been going in the wrong direction. | Insp Colin Bonner, of Bedfordshire Police, said he had no idea why the Passat had been going in the wrong direction. |
| "The vehicle would have been travelling towards Junction 10, where there are some roadworks and some road closures, but the motorway was open for through traffic," he said. | "The vehicle would have been travelling towards Junction 10, where there are some roadworks and some road closures, but the motorway was open for through traffic," he said. |
| "There was no reason for that vehicle to have turned round at all, so we are very interested if anyone witnessed that vehicle turning around and any reason why they saw it turn round." | "There was no reason for that vehicle to have turned round at all, so we are very interested if anyone witnessed that vehicle turning around and any reason why they saw it turn round." |
| Police said the crash took place shortly before the roadworks. | Police said the crash took place shortly before the roadworks. |
| Debris spread | Debris spread |
| The southbound carriageway between junctions 10 and 11 was closed for several hours overnight while police dealt with the scene. | The southbound carriageway between junctions 10 and 11 was closed for several hours overnight while police dealt with the scene. |
| Gary Sanderson, from the East of England Ambulance Service, said the crash victims were "quickly" pronounced dead by the emergency services. | Gary Sanderson, from the East of England Ambulance Service, said the crash victims were "quickly" pronounced dead by the emergency services. |
| He said: "The cars were unrecognisable and there was nothing that could be done for the people involved." | He said: "The cars were unrecognisable and there was nothing that could be done for the people involved." |
| He said the debris was spread over quite a lot of the carriageway. | He said the debris was spread over quite a lot of the carriageway. |