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A40 crash: Mother and three young children killed in Oxfordshire

Sarah Mak Zoe Powell and familySarah Mak
Zoe Powell and her three eldest children died in the crash. Josh Powell was critically injured

A mother and her three young children have died in a crash in Oxfordshire.

Police said a people carrier and a lorry collided near a railway overbridge on the A40 between Oxford and Cassington at 21:50 BST on Monday.

The mother, named locally as Zoe Powell, 29, died at the scene with her eight-year-old daughter Phoebe. Six-year-old Simeon and Amelia, four, died at John Radcliffe Hospital.

Their father Josh, 30, and an 18-month-old girl were critically injured.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it worked with police and paramedics to free the father and daughter, who are from Chinnor in Oxfordshire, from the silver Subaru car.

The driver of the lorry, a 56-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and is helping officers with their investigation.

No arrests have been made, Thames Valley Police said.

Sarah Mak Zoe PowellSarah Mak
Zoe Powell, 29, from Chinnor and three of her young children died after a crash with a lorry

Mrs Powell was a blogger who wrote about motherhood, family life and the challenges of having young children.

She created a specialised diary called the Mama Book to help young mothers find "mental space in the midst of motherhood".

A40 crash scene
The road reopened at about 13:00 after being closed both ways for accident investigation work.

In a statement on Facebook, Chinnor Parish Council said: "As a close Chinnor community, we are all so saddened and shocked to hear about the tragic accident last night."

A member of the parish told the BBC: "At the moment it's just so raw. The community are very upset."

St Andrew's Church said it would be open daily from 11:00 to 17:00 "for private prayer and lighting of a candle".

Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown said: "Horrible, horrible news and my thoughts are not just with the family and friends but with all those professionals doing their jobs who have seen sights they will sadly never forget."

Google Google map of A40Google
The crash happened near a bridge where the A40 crosses a railway

Sgt Dominic Mahon, senior investigating officer, asked people "not to speculate as to the cause of this horrendous incident".

"We will leave no stone unturned to ascertain what has caused this tragedy," he said.

Sgt Mahon said officers and colleagues from the other emergency services were dealing with "an extremely upsetting scene".

He said the family's next of kin were being supported.