5-year-old girl fights for her life after eight were killed in M1 motorway crash

'This collision was deeply distressing for the members of the public who witnessed it,' says Chief Inspector Henry Parsons

The M1 collision involved two lorries and a minibus (@ItsOllieYT)

A five-year-old girl and three relatives are fighting for their lives after a bank holiday crash on the M1 killed eight people.

The crash took place around 3.15am on Saturday morning, and involved two lorries and a minibus.

The drivers of both lorries - which were from FedEx and AIM Logistics - have been arrested. All those who died were in the minibus.

The collision happened close to Newport Pagnell in the Thames Valley Police area.

Eyewitness Brett Smith told reporters that he held the arms of the little girl, who was trapped inside a vehicle, for about an hour while the emergency services tried to help.

"A family has been destroyed," he said.

In a statement, Chief Inspector Henry Parsons said the recovery operation was "challenging" for officers who attended.

“This collision was deeply distressing for the members of the public who witnessed it, along with the emergency service workers who attended and displayed high levels of professionalism."

He added: "Thames Valley Police has highly trained collision investigators who, over the coming weeks and months, will work to determine what caused this tragedy."