Three men are in police custody after two cars collide in Darnall area of Sheffield

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Four people, including a one-year-old child, have died after a people carrier was hit by a car being pursued by police in South Yorkshire.

The fatal crash involving a black VW Golf and a black VW Touran people carrier that two families were travelling in occurred in the Darnall area of Sheffield on Friday night.

Police had been pursuing three men, aged 23, 17 and 18, who were travelling in the Golf. They have been arrested and remain in custody after sustaining minor injuries.

Two men aged 35 and 50, one of whom was the driver, and a 41-year-old woman – all travelling in the Touran that had not been pursued by police – were pronounced dead at the scene. A one-year-old boy was pronounced dead in hospital.

Three other passengers were injured. A 22-year-old woman is in a critical condition, a second woman also remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition, while a three-year-old girl was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

South Yorkshire police appealed for dashcam footage of the collision.

DCI Jude Ashmore said: “First and foremost, my thoughts are with the families of the victims who have lost loved ones during this incredibly tragic incident.

“A high number of resources were deployed to the scene last night, with officers from all of the emergency services working through the night and into this morning to assist.

“Our priority now is to support the victims’ families and those affected, and work hard to determine the exact circumstances around what happened.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation.

Its regional director Miranda Biddle said: “As soon as we were informed, we sent investigators to the scene, and we will be carrying out an independent investigation to establish what actions South Yorkshire police took prior to the crash.

“This is standard procedure when lives are lost following an incident involving the police. By attending the scene, we have been able to view dashcam footage which confirms that although a pursuit did take place prior to the crash, there is no indication that the police vehicle collided with either of the vehicles involved.

“We have also obtained initial statements from the officers involved and will gather further evidence during the course of our investigation.”

The area in the vicinity of the crash is expected to remain closed for most of Saturday.