A man has died after an HGV lorry crashed into a railway bridge on the M6 in Cheshire today.
Police were called to reports of a serious collision on the northbound carriageway of the motorway, between junctions 17 (Sandbach) and 18 (Middlewich), shortly after 8am (Tuesday, September 7).
When officers attended the scene, they found that a blue and white HGV had smashed into the column of a railway bridge.
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The driver of the HGV, a man in his 60s, died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.
Two other vehicles were also involved in the incident.
Following the incident, six fire engines and an air ambulance attended the scene and the northbound carriageway was closed, leading to long queues of traffic forming.
Train services were also disrupted as the bridge involved in the crash had been damaged.
National Highways said this afternoon that the northbound carriageway was not expected to reopen before this evening's peak traffic hours.
This was because of the police-led investigation being carried out at the scene, and because a spillage of 800 litres of diesel was also being cleared.
There was a two-hour delay stretching back 6.5 miles on the approach to the scene. All trapped traffic has been released by temporarily opening lane 4 and also turning around vehicles.
National Highways Traffic Operations Manager Chris Martin said: "The northbound carriageway will need to be closed for some time and we would advise road users to avoid travelling in the local area and use alternative routes if possible."
Police are appealing for witnesses and video footage which may help with the investigation.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Cheshire police on 101, or visit www.cheshire.police.uk/tua, quoiting IML 1079063.
Further information about the incident is available from National Highways by visiting the website, or Twitter @HighwaysNWEST.
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