Sir Keir Starmer’s tribute to Bolton crash victims

The collision happened at around 12.45am on Sunday, January 11, when a red Seat Leon was involved in a head-on crash with a Citroen C4 Picasso taxi.

Four men were pronounced dead at the scene.

They have been formally identified by Greater Manchester Police as taxi driver Masrob Ali, 54, and three Bolton teenagers – Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, 18, Farhan Patel, 18, and Mohammed Danyaal Asghar Ali, 19.

Five other people were injured and remain in hospital.

Police said a 29-year-old woman travelling in the Citroen suffered potentially life-threatening injuries, while a 28-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man suffered serious injuries.

A 29-year-old man sustained minor injuries and an 18-year-old man who was a passenger in the Seat Leon also remains in hospital with minor injuries.

Tributes were paid to the victims in Parliament on Wednesday, January 14, when Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi raised the incident in the House of Commons.

During PMQs, she said: “Mr Speaker, I would like to offer my condolences to the families of the four people who died in the road traffic accident that occurred over the weekend in my constituency.”

Responding, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Can I just say that my thoughts, and I think the thoughts of the whole House, will be with all those affected by the terrible road traffic accident in her constituency over the weekend.

“Our thoughts are with all of those so awfully impacted.”

Fundraising appeals have since been set up by the families and friends of Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar and Mohammed Danyaal Asghar Ali.

Greater Manchester Police said the families of all four victims are being supported by specially trained officers.

Detective Inspector Andrew Page, from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said officers are still working to establish the full circumstances of the crash.

He said: “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. Sharing such footage could constitute a criminal offence.”

He also praised the response of emergency services at the scene and confirmed officers are continuing to appeal for witnesses.

Anyone who saw either vehicle before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam or CCTV footage is asked to contact police on 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 111 of January 11, 2026.

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.