Body discovered on M5 sparks chaos as cops shut motorway to analyze
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A major UK motorway has been closed in both directions after “a body was found in the carriageway”.
West Midlands Police said they have closed the M5 in both directions after the grim discovery on Thursday morning.
The force said officers were at the scene of two incidents on the busy motorway, which connects the Midlands to the South West of England, sparking traffic chaos and long delays.
A spokesman said the motorway was shut in both directions between Quinton and Oldbury due to the discovery of the body.
And it is also shut northbound between junction Quinton and the interchange with the M6, following a separate crash involving two motorcyclists and a car. The two male motorcyclists have been rushed to hospital.
No further details have been released about the body.
A force spokesperson said: “We are at the scene of two incidents on the M5 and it is currently closed in both directions at Oldbury/Quinton.
“It’s shut J3 at Quinton to J2 at Oldbury after a body was found in the carriageway. Following a separate collision it’s shut north between J3 and the M6.
“The closures are expected to be in place for some time and drivers are advised to find alternative routes.”
Long delays are being reported on traffic monitoring service Inrix, while motorway cameras showed lines of traffic queueing on the carriageway.
National Highways West Midlands said its contractors and Traffic Officers are “assisting with traffic management.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service says the crash involved two motorcycles and a car and took place between Junction 1, West Bromwich, and the interchange with the M6.
The motorcyclists, two men, have been left seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “Two men have been taken to hospital following an RTC involving two motorbikes and a car on the M5 this morning.
“West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 9.55am to reports of a collision just after junction 1 of the M5 northbound in West Bromwich and sent two ambulances, a paramedic officer, a MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic to the scene.
“On arrival, crews found the motorcyclists, both men, requiring medical attention. Ambulance staff treated both patients for serious injuries.
“One man was conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the second man was conveyed to Midlands Metropolitan University Hospital for further treatment.”
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