Blackburn taxi driver, 50s, killed in Bolton horror crash named locally
A taxi driver from Blackburn has been named as one of four people killed in a horror crash in Bolton at the weekend.
Masrob Ali, 54, was driving his Citroen C4 Picasso taxi along Wigan Road when it was involved in a head-on collision with a red Seat in the early hours of Sunday.
Mr Ali, from Ash Street in Blackburn, and three teenagers in the Seat Leon have been named in local funeral notices. The teenagers, all from Bolton, have been named as Mohammed Danyaal, 19, Farhan Patel, 18, and Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18.
Masrob, who had worked as a taxi driver for around 10 years, is believed to have died at the scene.
Five passengers were also injured in the crash and remain in hospital for treatment, including a 29-year-old woman with potentially life-threatening injuries.
The woman was a riding in the Citroen, along with a 28-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man who suffered serious injuries and a 29-year-old man with minor injuries.
An 18-year-old man, a passenger in the Seat, also remains in hospital with minor injuries.
GMP's Ch Insp Helen McCormick described it as a "devastating incident".
She said: "This was a particularly challenging scene for colleagues in the emergency services and I want to thank the first responders."
Detective Inspector Andrew Page, of the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, added: “We are still in the early stages of our investigation and work is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this terrible incident.
“As an investigation team we would encourage people to be mindful of sharing footage on social media given the impact this will have on all the families involved in such a tragic incident.
“Thanks to patrols in the area, teams were able to get to the incident location quickly to what was a particularly challenging scene for colleagues in the emergency services.
“I want to thank first responders from our Bolton district and the Road Policing Unit, alongside colleagues from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service for their hard work since this incident.
“The scene closed on Sunday evening, but we are still appealing for any witnesses to come forward. Anyone who saw the vehicle driving before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam/ CCTV footage of the incident can share it with us.
“You can contact us on directly on 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 111 of 11/01/2025. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”