SIX men have been killed in a head-on collision on a bend on a busy main road. The cars, a green Ford Focus and a silver Peugeot 206, were travelling along the A31 close to the Chequers Inn when the "horrendous" accident happened at 11-30 pm on Wednesday. Five men travelling in the Peugeot, thought to be in their late teens or early 20s, were killed along with the middle-aged driver of the Focus. An 18-year-old passenger in the Focus escaped with just minor injuries. He was taken to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital at Winchester, where he remains. The road was closed for up to 12 hours while crash investigators examined the scene. Motorists were diverted along the A272 and A32. Local people have said the road is not known as an accident black spot. A woman motorist who was travelling a few cars behind one of the vehicles involved in the accident told The Herald: "I saw two cars on their roofs. The emergency services hadn't arrived, but the man in the car in front of me said that the police and ambulance were on their way. "There was no way anyone could help because the cars were so badly wrecked. It was awful." The Chequers Inn landlord Gil Rogers said the accident did not take place outside his pub as earlier reported. He said: "As far as I know it happened just up the road towards Four Marks." Inspector Tony Browne said three of the dead men were local. "The families are obviously devastated. This is an horrendous tragedy and lots of young lives have been tragically ended," he said. Formal identification was due to be carried out as The Herald went to press.
