TWO people were killed and four others seriously injured after a two-car crash in Accrington.

The collision between a Mercedes and a Vauxhall Vectra happened at the crossroads outside the Asda superstore in Hyndburn Road.

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Police said the 42-year-old driver and 43-year-old passenger in the Vectra were both pronounced dead at the scene.

The men were named locally as Aurang Zeb Khan and Rafique Khan, both from Accrington.

Officers said the Mercedes had been travelling west along Hyndburn Road, out of the town, when the smash with the Vectra, which was heading north from Oxford Street towards the supermarket, happened.

Another passenger in the Vectra was taken to hospital with serious injuries, as were three people travelling in the Mercedes.

Mayor of Hyndburn, Coun Munsif Dad, said he had visited the relatives of the two men who died to offer them his condolences.

Coun Dad said: “The men in the Vectra were all mates and they had all been somewhere together. Aurangzeb and Rafiq were both family men.

“What has happened is absolutely horrendous.

“The Accrington community is taken aback. It has had an effect on the community as well as the men’s families. People have been visiting them to give their condolences.

“I hope the investigation does not take too long. The sooner the bodies can be released, the sooner the families can go through the burial process. It is absolutely tragic.”

Three fire crews from Accrington and Blackburn attended the incident, which is still being investigated by Lancashire’s road policing team.

Lee Cook, crew manager at Accrington fire station, said: “We were called just before 11.30pm on Friday to a road traffic collision with persons reported.

“We were told one vehicle was on its roof and that it was on fire.

“As it turned out, the car wasn’t on fire, there was just steam coming from the radiator and smoke from the airbags.

“Six people in total were taken from the vehicles to hospital. “e were there for around three-and-a-half hours. The investigation is all in the hands of the police now.”

Coun Dad, who is also Lancashire county councillor for Accrington West, said that although the cause of the crash was still being investigated, he wanted to bring up the issue of safety on Hyndburn Road with the authority’s highways committee.

He added: “We need to learn lessons from these things. I would request the appropriate people look to see how we can make sure nothing like this ever happen again.

“I will certainly be looking to see if we can look at any traffic calming or accident prevention measures.”

Police said investigations into the cause of the crash were ongoing, and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Sergeant Gareth Hill, of the road policing unit, said: “This is a tragic incident and we have specialist officers working with the families of those who have sadly died.

“We are now appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to get in touch with police on 101 with any information they may have to help us with our investigation into how this incident occurred.”

The North West Ambulance Service said it had sent an ambulance, a rapid response vehicle and an advanced paramedic to the scene.

A spokeswoman said ‘multiple casualties’ were taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital at around 11.45pm.

Debris from the cars could still be seen on the pavement outside Asda on Saturday morning, while a metal barrier and a set of traffic lights were damaged at a pedestrian crossing.