Teenagers thought to be among victims of fatal Bolton crash
Four people died after two cars collided in the Deane area of Bolton early this morningPolice near to the scene where a red Seat Leon collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi on Wigan Road in Bolton
Last updated 11th Jan 2026
Three teenagers are believed to be among the four who died in a head-on crash between a car and a taxi in Greater Manchester.
A red Seat Leon collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi on Wigan Road in Bolton in the early hours of Sunday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The driver of the Seat and two passengers, believed to be three men aged between 18 and 19, as well as the driver of the Citroen, thought to be a man in his 50s, died after the crash, the force said.
Five injured passengers have been taken to hospital.
Formal identification of the victims is still taking place.
One resident on Wigan Road said they were woken by a "loud bang".
The woman, who did not want to be named, looked from her bedroom window and saw "quite a bit of debris" on the road.
She also saw a red car that was "really damaged".
A male resident, did not see what happened, but heard a "car accelerating".
Footage from a nearby property shared online showed a head-on crash, before both cars and debris were sent flying in different directions.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said on Sunday: "At around 12.50am this morning, three fire engines and the technical response unit attended a crash involving a taxi and a car on Wigan Road, Bolton.
"Firefighters arrived quickly to make the area safe and used cutting equipment to help remove people from the vehicles before passing them into the care of North West Ambulance Service. Greater Manchester Police assisted with cordoning the area. Crews were in attendance for roughly two hours."
GMP is urging any witnesses to come forward with information.
Local councillor Ayyub Patel said the "community is very saddened by the tragic news", saying the authorities should be left to carry out their investigations.
Greater Manchester Police statement
In a statement at the scene, Chief Inspector Helen McCormick said:
"It is with great sadness that I can confirm, in the early hours of this morning, four people have tragically died in a collision here on Wigan Road.
"They are believed to be three teenagers, aged 18 and 19, and a taxi driver, aged in his 50s. Formal identification is ongoing at this time and of course, it is pivotal that we get this right.
"The families of those that we believe have been fatally injured in this incident have been informed and have specialist family liaison officers supporting them at this current time.
"Five other people have been taken to hospital, where they are currently being treated.
"This was a devastating incident for all those involved, none more so than the families of those deceased. This was a particularly challenging scene for colleagues in the emergency services and I want to thank first responders from our Bolton district and Roads Policing Unit at GMP, as well as the Fire Service and Ambulance service for all their hard work through the night and into today.
"This is a tragic reminder of the importance of safety on our roads across Greater Manchester, and here in Bolton, where plenty of work has been done and continues to try and ensure our roads are safe for all.
"We have massively reduced the number of serious and fatal collisions in Bolton and significantly increased our proactivity, but we’ve all got much more to do.
"One incident is one too many and will do nothing to bring back the four lives lost here today.
"My thoughts are with everyone affected."