Six people taken to hospital after 15-car crash on M23 near Gatwick

Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called to the scene of the crash at around 5.40pm yesterday evening due to the collision, which caused severe delays and closed part of the highway for several hours.

It has since reopened.

Cars were seen spun around on the road, with debris said to be strewn across the highway following the crash.

Police urged people to avoid the area while the incident was dealt with and a triage centre was set up at the nearby K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley to help treat a number of walking wounded.

The K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley was used as a triage centre to help those injured in the crash (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

The crash reportedly occurred in stormy conditions, with heavy rain and hail making the road surface slippery for cars.

Roger Williams, who was driving along the M23 when the crash happened, said it was the “worst pile up I’ve seen in 62 years on this planet”.

He said: “There were vans on their sides, a minibus upside down. I counted at least five facing [the] wrong way after spinning.

“The whole carriageway [was] covered in debris.

“The carriageway was covered in two inches of ice and people were speeding through it.”

The M23 was closed between Junctions 10 and 11 due to the crash (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Severe delays were reported on the M23 and A23 following the collision, which took place around evening rush hour, with police closing the highway to traffic between Junctions 10 and 11.

A diversion was set up along the A2011 while recovery work took place.

The southbound carriageway re-opened to traffic at around 9.20pm, with the northbound carriageway following at around 1am this morning.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) confirmed that six people had been taken to hospital, with around 30 more assessed for minor injuries.

A Secamb spokesman said: “Following the multi-vehicle crash, we have taken six patients to hospital with believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

“A further approximately 30 patients are being assessed for minor injuries and will be taken to hospital or discharged from our care.”