Rotherhithe Tunnel closed after traffic crash: driver critically injured
Car smash closes Rotherhithe Tunnel. Picture: TfL - Credit: TFL
A serious road crash in which a driver was badly injured and four other people hurt has closed the A101 Rotherhithe Tunnel to traffic in both directions.
The head-on collision involving three vehicles has blocked both sides of the single-bore Thames tunnel between Stepney and Rotherhithe.
It happened during the night at around 2.15am at the southern approach entrance heading northward. The tunnel was cordoned off at either end before the morning rush-hour was getting under way.
Emergency services were at the scene of the crash within minutes.
One of the three drivers involved was rushed to hospital by ambulance and is in a critical condition, Scotland Yard has confirmed.
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The London Air Ambulance helicopter was sent to the scene from its Whitechapel base, along with a hazardous area response team.
A London Ambulance spokesman said later: "A man with leg injuries was treated at the scene before being taken to a major trauma centre by road. Four people with minor injuries declined treatment."
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The Rotherhithe Tunnel was still closed to traffic long after the crash,with diversions operating, including buses. Nearest river crossings for drivers are the A100 Tower Bridge to the west and the A102 Blackwall Tunnel to the east.
