Le Mans, June 12

Le Mans is in mourning today for the 77 people killed when the blazing wreckage of a Mercedes sports car crashed through the crowds two hours after the start of the 24-hour endurance race yesterday. Seventy-seven people are still in hospital and of these seven are in a serious condition.

Relatives today filed through the hospitals and clinics in an attempt to identify the unnamed victims. Some of the men, women, and children killed were so terribly mutilated they may never be identified. Messages of sympathy are being received here. The first two were from the West German President and the Chancellor, Sir Gladwyn Jebb, the British Ambassador in Paris, has sent a message of sympathy to M. Pinay, the French Foreign Minister.

The car explodes

The record crows was packed round the rails when the crash, the worst in motor-racing history, occurred. Witnesses said that Mike Hawthorn (Britain), who went on to win the race, was signalled into the Jaguar pits to refuel. Lance Macklin, in an Austin-Healey, swerved hard to avoid the green British car. The French driver, Pierre Levegh, who was chasing the leaders at 125 miles an hour, could not avoid Macklin's car. His silver Mercedes glanced off the side of it and exploded, showering sparks into the air. Its engine and front axle went like a scythe through the crowd. In the time it took to happen few people had time to duck.

Two young boys were decapitated, one next to his dying father. His mother, blood coming from a gashed arm, screamed as she clutched the mutilated body to her. The packed enclosure along the grandstand straight was a terrible scene. Hundreds of spectators went to help rescue teams, police and firemen. A priest moved slowly among the dying, administering the Last Sacraments, while volunteers covered the bodies with newspapers and torn clothing. Levegh, killed instantly, was dragged from the blazing wreckage of his car and other bodies were carried away on stretchers and ladders. Most of the dead were French, but a police list of dead included the name of Jack Diamond, aged 24, of London, and Robert John Loxley, aged 24, of Worchester. Two British are among the injured- Mr W.T. Saunders of Rugby, and Mr John Chapman, whose address was not given.

One of the injured, M. Jacques Lelong, said after leaving hospital today with his head in bandages,

"There was a terrific explosion and two car wheels whistled over my head. I saw a little girl in a light-coloured dress who had been trampled on by panic stricken spectators, lying in a pool of blood. A piece of metal hit me square on the forehead and I saw a headless man beside me collapse like a rag doll."

On the other side of the track, it was several hours before many people knew of the crash as they danced in the open air and rode on the fun-fair roundabouts.

Driver's warning

No official announcement was made over the loud-speaker and they knew nothing until the Mercedes team withdrew at two o'clock this morning as a mark of sympathy for the victims. A Mercedes spokesman said that they did not withdraw earlier at the request of the organisers as this would have meant many people leaving the track and may have held up the work of getting the injured to hospital.

At the time a Mercedes driven by Stirling Moss, of Britain, and Juan Fangio, the world champion, was in the lead. Fangio said that Levegh had saved his life just before crashing to his death. He declared:

"I was doing 260 kilometres an hour. Just before we reached the first pits I saw in front of me, hardly more than fifty metres away, Levegh suddenly raise his hand. He was warning me of some danger I could not see. I braked but at that speed there was no question of pulling up in a few metres. Everything occurred so quickly that I could not see all that happened. I saw Levegh shoot off to the right while Macklin's Austin-Healey was thrown to the left just in front of me. How I got through and missed Macklin I don't know."

Just before the Mercedes crash a British M.G. driven by R. Jacobs swerved off the circuit as it approached the grandstand straight and crashed into a ditch. Policemen dragged Jacobs from the car a few seconds before it exploded in flames. Mrs Jacobs, the driver's wife, said that he was in hospital with a broken leg, but was resting comfortably.