Three teenagers and a taxi driver have been killed in a head-on crash in Greater Manchester.
A red Seat Leon collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi on Wigan Road in Bolton in the early hours of Sunday morning, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The driver of a red Seat Leon and two passengers, believed to be three men aged between 18 and 19, as well as the driver of a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi, thought to be a man in his fifties, died in the incident at 12.45am.
Formal identification of the teenage victims is still taking place, said police at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, although they have been named locally by the Bolton Council of Mosques (BCoM) as Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, Farhan Patel and Muhammad Danyaal Asghar Ali.
Mosrab Ali was also named locally and is believed to be the taxi driver.
Five wounded passengers were also taken to hospital, where they are still being treated.
A police cordon remained in place at the scene as officers continued their investigation.
At the press conference, Chief Inspector Helen McCormick said: “The families of those we believe have been fatally injured in this incident have been informed and have specialist family liaison officers supporting them at this current time.
“Five other people have been taken to hospital where they are currently being treated.
“This was a devastating incident for all those involved, none more so than the families of those deceased.
“This was a particularly challenging scene for colleagues in the emergency services and I want to thank first responders from our Bolton District and Roads Policing Unit at GMP, as well as the fire service and ambulance service, for all their hard work through the night and into today.”
Pictures from the scene show the wreckage of the two vehicles, with debris strewn across the road.
One resident on Wigan Road said they were woken by a “loud bang”.
The woman, who did not want to be named, looked from her bedroom window and saw “quite a bit of debris” on the road. She also saw a red car that was “really damaged”.
Another resident did not see what happened, but heard a “car accelerating”.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said on Sunday: “At around 12.50am this morning, three fire engines and the technical response unit attended a crash involving a taxi and a car on Wigan Road, Bolton.
“Firefighters arrived quickly to make the area safe and used cutting equipment to help remove people from the vehicles before passing them into the care of North West Ambulance Service. Greater Manchester Police assisted with cordoning the area. Crews were in attendance for roughly two hours.”
Ayyub Patel, councillor for Rumworth, said the “community is very saddened by the tragic news”, adding that the authorities should be left to carry out their investigations.
GMP is urging any witnesses to come forward with information.
Anyone with information can contact police on 0161 856 4741, quoting log 111 of 11/01/2025. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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