Major 24-car pile up near Gatwick Airport leaves at least 34 injured

The multi-car collision happened in the midst of a hail storm.

The incident happened shortly before 6pm yesterday evening during a torrential rain and hail storm on the busy road that links London and Brighton.

The motorway closed for several hours after the accident and a temporary triage centre was set up at the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley to treat people for injuries.

Sussex Police released a statement shortly before 7pm and told commuters to avoid the area.

Roger Williams, who was at the scene at the time and posted updates on social media, said: "My thoughts with all those involved in the multi car pile up in the M23 at Pease Pottage. Worst pile up I've seen in 62yrs on this planet. Awful."

Williams described the scene on X, and urged people to avoid the area for the rest of the night.

He cited a hail storm as the reason for the pile-up and added: "The carriageway was covered in 2 inches of ice. And people were speeding through it."

South East Coast Ambulance Service issued an update around 9pm on the extent of people's injuries.

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