26 December 2012 Last updated at 08:28 ET

M6 crash: Injured women to be discharged, hospital says

The M6 was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash

Two women who were injured in a fatal crash on the M6 motorway are expected to be discharged later, the hospital treating them has said.

A spokesman for University Hospital of North Staffordshire said the women had spent the night under observation and have been examined by consultants.

Two brothers, aged 4 and 10, and a 32-year-old woman died in the crash.

The car overturned on the northbound carriageway between junctions 14 and 15 in Staffordshire on Christmas Day.

The driver, believed to be the boys' mother, and another woman in the car were injured.

Staffordshire police have appealed for witnesses to the crash, involving a red Ford Focus, to contact them.

Ch Insp David Bird said: "We will be doing reconstruction work and a thorough examination of the vehicles and the scene itself and hopefully that will provide a clue as to what happened and what the cause was."

The northbound stretch of M6 was shut for several hours after the crash, which happened at about 11:25 GMT.

The southbound section of the motorway was initially closed but reopened mid-afternoon.