
A heartbroken son has paid tribute to his minibus driver father who was killed in the deadliest motorway crash in 24 years while taking an Indian family to the Channel Tunnel.

The group of eleven were on their way to the Eurostar when their vehicle was 'squashed flat' in a crash with two delivery trucks on the M1 at Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.

Six men and two women died at the scene including the driver while three others - including a five-year-old girl who was pulled from the wreckage - are fighting for their lives in hospital.

Father-of-two Cyriac Joseph was named as the driver of the minibus and was killed instantly in the collision.

IT workers Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur, Rishi Rajeev Kumar and Vivek Bhaskaran were named among those who were killed in the crash by their IT firm Wipro this evening.

Polish lorry driver Ryszard Masierak, 31, from Worcestershire, has been charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the drink-drive limit, Thames Valley Police said.

He was remanded in custody to appear at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court today.

David Wagstaff, aged 53, of Derwent Street, Stoke-on-Trent, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Pictured: The front of a FedEx lorry was completely caved in (bottom right) while a second lorry appeared to have jack-knifed across the M1 carriageway. The minibus was described as 'squashed'. The first victim has been named as father-of-two and minibus driver Cyriac Joseph (bottom left and top right)

Pictured: Cyriac Joseph was killed outright when his minibus - carrying eleven passengers - was involved in a crash with two lorries

'I miss him already': Cyriac's devastated son described how he and his mother and sister had only recently returned from holiday and had barely seen him

Mano Ranjan Panneerselvam (pictured) was critically injured in the accident

Tributes: Dozens gathered at Cyriac's local church in Sherwood, Nottingham yesterday afternoon for a special memorial service following the tragic news

Six men and two women have been killed in the M1 collision in Newport Pagnell and one man, one woman and a five-year-old girl are in hospital with life-threatening injuries, Thames Valley Police have said. The remains of the minibus, which is in two pieces, are pictured being removed from scene on the M1 motorway

He was bailed to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on Monday 11 September.

The group included contractors working for credit card firm Capital One. IT services company Wipro, which employed the contractors, paid tribute to those who were killed.

A spokesman said: 'It is with deep regret and sadness that we confirm the passing away of three of our colleagues, Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur, Rishi Rajeev Kumar, and Vivek Bhaskaran in a tragic road accident.

'Another colleague, Mano Ranjan Panneerselvam was critically injured in the accident and we are praying for his speedy recovery.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who lost their lives in this tragedy. We will continue to provide all assistance to the families in this hour of grief.'

Yesterday a church service has been held for the minicab driver who was last night named as father-of-two Cyriac Joseph.

The driver, Cyriac Joseph, who owned the minibus company, was killed in the collision taking an Indian family to the Eurostar to begin their dream holiday

Known as Benny, he ran the minibus company ABC Travels based in Nottingham and was driving a bus load of passengers, many from India, from Nottingham to Wembley.

The Mass was held at St. Paul's Catholic Church on Lenton Boulevard.

Speaking outside the family home before a church service, his bereaved son Benson Joseph said his father had booked the job to take the family visiting from India down to North London.

Benson said he missed his father 'so much' already as he heartbreakingly revealed he and his mother and sister had only just returned from holiday.

He said: 'We had not seen dad for a while. He stayed home so he could keep running the company. That's when he agreed to take these clients. We hardly saw him after we got back. I miss him so much already.'

A close friend of Cyriac, Manu Zacharia, said he picked up the clients close to his home at 1am before setting of on the journey to the Euro tunnel.

The father-of-two, who had studied botany in India, had been running his taxi business for four years after working for supermarket chains Morrisons and Asda, and would regularly make long distance trips.

Manu said: 'He started the business around four years ago. He mostly made airport trips, pick-ups and that sort of thing.

'He would regularly make long distance trips to Birmingham and London and sometimes further. I think he did that quite often.

'He set off from home at 1am. The pick-up was very close to where he lived, but he did not know the group he was taking. They left Nottingham at around 1:30am.

'He was taking them to the Euro tunnel, so it was going to be quite a long journey, maybe three and a half hours. None of his friends or family were in the minibus. It was just clients.

'I believe they got in contact after a friend passed Cyriac's number to them.'

Arachelvan and Tamilmani Arunachalam, Mano Rajan's uncle and aunt, were both killed in the crash.

Their son Dr Arun Arachelvan, 30, said: 'I received a call from police last night . I could not believe what they were saying.

'They told me my parents and other relatives were in an accident and that my parents died on the spot.

'My uncle succumbed to his injuries while on the way to hospital. I have been told that my aunt Valli and sister-in-law are fine but traumatised. My cousin Manoranjan is still critical.

'I have applied for a visa but it will take 48-50 hours. I am requesting that the British and Indian High Commission understand the sensitivity of the case and expedite the visa process.

'The police are very helpful. They have told me as it is a medical-legal case, the autopsy can take seven to ten days. They think the truck driver was drunk.

'They have said they will keep in touch with me and tell me a timeline so I can go and retrieve their bodies.

'I am shell shocked. My parents were supposed to be back on September 2.'

Some of those on board the minibus were visiting the UK from India and Thames Valley Police said this evening it's possible all eight people who were killed were from the same family

Eight people have died after a minibus, pictured above, was 'squashed flat' after a crash with two lorries on the M1 on Saturday

A passerby who stopped his taxi to help passengers in the stricken minibus on the M1 has described the scene as a 'warzone'.

ADHD charity advocate Brett Smith, 36, from Milton Keynes, said the minibus was 'filled with blood' when he reached it, and spoke of his horror as he held a girl's hand to comfort her.

The father-of-two, who himself has been involved in two horror smashes as a child, jumped in to help as he said 'it's what any parent would do'.

Mr Smith said: 'I could see everything. It was not pretty – it was a war zone. I was on my way home from an evening with my friends and I was in a taxi. We came across the incident and instinctively I said 'stop' so I could jump out and offer help.

He said: 'There was no emergency services there at the time. I rushed across to provide help and realised there was a little girl trapped inside.

'I heard her crying. She was probably only three-years-old, and she was the only child I could hear and talk to. I could see her face to face. I still see her now when I close my eyes.

'I think [the family] were from the same culture and trying to communicate with her. She was just traumatised.

'I promised the girl a McDonalds when the fire service turned up. They put some goggles on me and put boards up to protect me and the child.'

Mr Smith added: 'When they got the main part of the minibus cut away the firefighters took over and thanked me. I remember the fire service were going to give me a can of coke to help deal with the shock. I'm still shaking now.

'I requested a high vis jacket as I was also feeling cold. But I was mainly thinking about the girl. The police were trying to take my details but I wanted to make sure the child was okay.

'I was told by the fire crew who assisted that the girl was fine and alive and well.

'I didn't get her name - I'm completely in the dark. I really feel for the family. There were so many members in one vehicle.'

ADHD charity advocate Brett Smith, 36, from Milton Keynes, said the minibus was 'filled with blood' when he reached it, and spoke of his horror as he held a girl's hand to comfort her. Pictured right, Mr Smith showing his injuries

Bank Holiday horror: The smashed up cab of the FedEx lorry involved in a fatal crash being towed away from the scene as four others remain in hospital

Brett Smith earlier said he gave the little girl his jacket to keep her warm and described the upsetting scene.

He said: 'A family has been destroyed. I held a little girl by her arms, trapped inside a vehicle, for a good hour or so with the emergency services and the fire service trying to help.

'I walked home with a blanket that the ambulance service provided me to stay warm because the little girl has got my jacket to keep herself safe. The fire and ambulances services did a really good job.'

Mr Smith posted a Facebook Live video from the scene of the crash discussing how he tried to helped the crash victim. He also wrote on social media how he was 'overwhelmed with emotion but must carry on'.

Police confirmed the little girl was now fighting for her life in hospital as they hold two men in custody for questioning.

The fatal crash was the deadliest pile-up since 1993, when 12 schoolchildren and their teacher died in a minibus accident on the M40.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said earlier: 'A 31-year-old man from Worcestershire has been arrested on suspicion of one count of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above limit.

Pictured: Visible skid marks can be seen in the left-hand lane while the churned up verge shows where vehicles collided with the bank

Tailbacks: Hundreds of people were stuck in tailbacks for 18 miles of congestion between Newton Pagnell and Northampton Services

'Also a 53-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent arrested on suspicion of one count of causing death by dangerous driving. They are both currently in custody.'

'All of the deceased were travelling in the minibus. The four taken to hospital were also travelling in the minibus of whom one is a child,' added Thames Valley police, saying that the vehicle was believed to have travelled from the Nottingham area.

The minibus had been hired by an Indian family travelling from Hyson Green in Nottingham to Wembley in North-West London. From there, the 11 passengers were due to go on a coach journey around Europe, according to friends.

Some of the victims worked in Nottingham for an IT firm, while the rest were relatives visiting from the Indian city of Madras.

Their driver, Cyriac Joseph, who owned the minibus company, was also killed in the collision.

Last night, a close family friend of Mr Joseph, known as Benny, said he had moved to the UK from Kerala in India five years ago with his wife Ancy and their two children. The 52-year-old had worked for Asda before starting his minicab business, ABC Travels.

He bought the 16-seater minibus around four years ago and became a self-employed businessman. His cousin Soyamon Joseph, 49, said Mr Joseph had enjoyed dinner at his house on Friday night.

He added: 'That was the last supper he had. I knew he had this very early job so he slept at my house from 10pm until 1am. He had a group of 11 to pick up at 1.30am from Hyson Green in Nottingham. Benny's wife was working a night shift at the hospital where she is a nurse. She tried to ring him when she got home but there was no reply. She rang me and I told her everything would be OK. Then the police rang her and said there had been an accident. It is so tragic. Benny was my best friend.

'He had worked so hard to send his daughter Benita to a girls' grammar school where she had just got ten A-stars and two As in her GCSEs. He was so proud.

'He had a flight booked back to India on September 3 as he was building a house there and the foundation stone was about to be laid.'

One neighbour added: 'It's so, so sad. He's a kind and generous man. If I needed to get somewhere and he wasn't working he'd offer his help. I've lived next door to them most of my life and the whole family are lovely.'

A neighbour has described how the family of Mr Joseph gathered at his home to grieve this morning.

Fighting back tears, Majid Adam, 53, a cleaner at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, said: 'I saw lots of family members and friends around the house at about 10am. They looked really upset, and were crying.

'I asked what had happened and they told me there had been a terrible accident. I saw his wife being surrounded by a crowd of people. She looked extremely upset.

'I have lived here for 10 years and always known him as a taxi driver. I had only seen him with that minibus for a year. I don't think he has had it long.

'He was such a happy and smiling man. His whole family are lovely. It's extremely upsetting what has happened. I feel for him and his family.'

Pictured: The scene of the tragedy this afternoon after the two lorries and minibus were removed from the carriageway

Pictured: Service workers at the scene cleaning the motorway before reopening it to the public following the crash

Pictured: Aerial footage from Sky News shows a large red stain across the motorway as recovery work is underway

The minibus was virtually flattened with skid marks visible across the left-hand lane. The cabs of both the lorries were smashed up.

The vehicles were travelling in the same direction when the crash happened, police said.

A FedEx lorry with its cab crushed and the cab of an AIM Logistics lorry twisted around to the side. Another image shows what appears to be the crumpled wreckage of the minibus on the back of a flatbed truck.

Broken glass and debris from the collision was scattered across the tarmac.

Ismail Elmagdoub, director of AIM Logistics, said on Saturday: 'One of our vehicles was involved in a serious incident on the M1 southbound, junction 14 this morning at approximately 3am. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families who have lost loved ones and also those whom have been injured at this very sad time.

'Road safety and compliance is of the utmost importance to AIM Logistics and we are continuing to assist the police as much as possible with their inquiries.'

A witness told MailOnline: 'It's horrific. There is what looks like the remains of the back end of the minibus trapped beneath the FedEx trailer, totally wrecked.

'I don't see how anyone could have survived that. There's wreckage along the grass verge and the third lorry is just past the junction.

Pictured: Hundreds are stuck in congested traffic on the M1 northbound after two lorries and a minibus collided just after 3.15am

He said: 'It looks like the trailer has become detached as it is at right angles to the cab. There are two big rescues vehicles at the scene using cranes. The road is closed to the previous junction.'

A relative of one of those who died in what has been described as the worst motorway crash on British soil in 26 years has paid tribute to their loved one.

Mani Balasubramian lost his brother-in-law and his sister and husband in the crash.

But his own sister as well as his friend, who had recently moved to Nottingham, and his mother survived.

Tragically Mr Balasubramian revealed neither of the girl's parents survived the crash, leaving her battling for her own life in hospital without any immediate relatives nearby.

He said the young girl was the daughter of a man named Vivek, a friend of Mr Manoranjan.

The five-year-old was trapped under the a seat for more than an hour until being rescued by firefighters and a passerby at the scene.

Speaking about the heartbreaking moment he heard the news, Mr Balasubramian, 54, said: 'We learnt about the accident in the morning and were told a truck driver had lost control and suddenly slammed the brakes on and the minibus my relatives were in collided with it.

'My brother-in-law and his sister and her husband died. Luckily, my sister, nephew and his wife survived the crash but they are hospitalised.

'Manoranjan had also asked his four friends, a couple Vivek and his wife and two other men. They all died but Vivek's five-year-old daughter survived.

'I am devastated with the loss of my brother-in-law and his relatives. They wanted to enjoy a nice week travelling across Europe but sadly, they met with a fatal accident.

'But I am relieved that my sister and nephew and his wife are alive. I am told they have sustained severe injuries. They do not have any kids.'

He revealed the party had hired a minibus from ABC Travels - the owner who was named as the first victim of the tragedy as Cyriac Joseph, a father-of-two from Nottingham.

Gayle Smith, who drove past the accident, commented on social media: 'We have just passed this accident, travelling on the Northbound carriageway. The accident looked awful. Thoughts and prayers going out to all victims'

Avoid the area: Police asked those planning on travelling on the M1 to avoid the motorway and use alternative routes (pictured above, the lorries being removed)

Pictured: The FedEx lorry (right) with its cab twisted into the back of the L M Logstistics truck involved in the crash

Mr Balasubramian said: 'They had hired a minibus from ABC Travels. I do not know if Manoranjan already knew the driver but he was from the same country and neighbouring state Kerala. We have learnt his wife is a nurse.

A director of a local news station in Chennai, India, Mr Balasubramin said his sister and her husband hey flew out to see his nephew Mano Ranjan on August 18.

Mano had moved to Nottingham six months before to work for technology firm Wipro as an IT consultant.

Two days after arriving the family made a last minute plan to tour France for a week, inviting with them two other family members and friends and Mano's work friends.

Manoranjan, his wife Sangeetha and his mother Shri Valli survived the crash, but his father A Paneerselvan was killed.

Paneersevlan's sister and her husband were also killed, along with two of Manoranjan's colleagues, his friend Vivek and Vivek's wife.

The only other survivor of the crash was Vivek's five-year-old daughter, who was trapped under a seat for more than an hour until being rescued by firefighters.

Mani Balasubramian, 54, said: 'My sister Shri Valli and her husband A Paneerselvan, a retired engineer and lecturer, left on August 18 to meet their son Mano.

'My brother-in-law Paneerselvan also asked his sister Tamil Mani, 55, and her husband Arutchilvan to join them for the vacation. But they had left two or three days after and were supposed to stay for 10 days.'

Yesterday a church service has been held for the minicab driver who was last night named as father-of-two Cyriac Joseph.

Known as Benny, he ran the minibus company ABC Travels based in Nottingham and was driving a bus load of It's believed he was driving a bus load of passengers, many from India, from Nottingham to Wembley.

The Mass was held at St. Paul's Catholic Church on Lenton Boulevard.

Speaking outside the family home before a church service, his bereaved son Benson Joseph said his father had booked the job to take the family visiting from India down to North London.

Benson said he missed his father 'so much' already as he heartbreakingly revealed he and his mother and sister had only just returned from holiday.

He said: 'We had not seen dad for a while. He stayed home so he could keep running the company. That's when he agreed to take these clients. We hardly saw him after we got back. I miss him so much already.'

A close friend of Cyriac, Manu Zacharia, said he picked up the clients close to his home at 1am before setting of on the journey to the Euro tunnel.

The father-of-two, who had studied botany in India, had been running his taxi business for four years after working for supermarket chains Morrisons and Asda, and would regularly make long distance trips.

The accident happened just after 3am on Saturday morning involving two lorries and a minibus, thought to have been travelling from Nottingham