AN eight-year-old boy was being comforted last night after learning his parents and two younger brothers had died in the A1 death crash.

Police said it was "nothing short of a miracle" the youngster had survived when the car he was traveling in speared off the road and hit a tree.

The boy's grandfather was by his bed at the James Cook University Hospital last night.

The victims, a mother-of-three in her late 20s, two of her sons and her partner, in his early 30s, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have not released any details of the victims, saying that not all relatives have been informed but already floral tributes have been fixed to metal railings outside the family home in Hebburn, South Tyneside.

Bunches of cellophane-wrapped bouquets of carnations and roses had been fixed to a garden fence by tearful visitors shocked by the tragedy.

On the grass lawn, in the shadow of the condolence cards, stood a childs little yellow, green and white plastic runaround car.

The family were thought to have been heading from their native North-East to the Blackburn area of Lancashire to visit relatives when an incident happened on a stretch of the A1 trunk road at Great Fencote, near Catterick, North Yorkshire, on Saturday morning.

North Yorkshire Police said a Ford Transit Van and the family's Citroen Saxo were the only vehicles involved and that the Saxo left the road and careered into a tree.

All four victims, and the injured boy, were in the Citroen Saxo.

The driver of the Transit van was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. He has since been bailed by police after being quizzed about the incident.

North Yorkshire Police said the man had not been injured but had been left deeply traumatised by the incident.

Inspector Nigel Slater, of North Yorkshire Police, said today: "Unfortunately, there were four fatalities from one of the vehicles, a Citroen Saxo.

"They were two adults and two children.

Details of the people tragically killed will not be released until all relatives have been notified."

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