Grieving relatives of a taxi driver killed in a multi-car crash in Birmingham have paid tribute to the “happy, loving” father-of-six.
Imtiaz Mohammed had phoned his wife to say he was on his final trip and would soon be heading home moments before the crash occurred.
His younger brother Noorshad Mohammed, 32, said: “It was his last job of the night.
“That was the last time she spoke to him.”
Crash investigators are continuing to try to piece together the cause of the collision which killed six people in the early hours of Sunday, near the city centre.
Three men were killed when they were thrown out of their car while the taxi driver and his two passengers, a man and woman, died after the vehicle was left on its side.
One of the men who died in the other car has been named locally as Tauqeer Hussain.
A fourth man travelling in the car, thought to be an Audi S3, remains in a critical condition at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Mohammed, had six children all aged under 15 and was described by his father as a “happy, loving and friendly guy”.
Surrounded by the 33-year-old’s other relatives at the family home, Ikhtiar Mohammed recalled how his “heart sank” as police knocked on his door at 5am on Sunday.
The 65-year-old said: “I knew there was something wrong, as soon as I saw them.
“I thought to myself, ‘which of my sons is hurt’, I just knew something was seriously wrong.”
He said that Mohammed’s wife, Nargas Gul, was still in deep shock while relatives struggled with how to break the news to the couple’s five daughters and son.
One of their girls had been due to celebrate her fourth birthday on Monday.
Older sister Nassrin Bibi paid tribute to her brother and said the family had been “shattered” by what had happened.
Mohammed worked for local firm Castle Cars, who said in a statement: “Imtiaz was a wonderful young hard-working family man”, who was “loved and respected by all”.
At the scene on Sunday night, three of the lesser damaged cars were being removed, as police continue to follow up various lines of investigation including the condition of the road when the crash happened at Belgrave and Lee Bank Middleway, near Edgbaston, at the junction of Bristol Road.
Superintendent Sean Phillips, from West Midlands Police, told a press conference: “It is way too early to speculate on the causes of the accident.
“It will take some time to unpick the scene and just understand exactly what’s happened. It would be unfair for me to speculate at this time.”
He confirmed the road had been gritted at 5pm the previous evening.
Asked about what speeds the vehicles were travelling at, and whether all of those involved were wearing seatbelts, Phillips said those will be issues considered during the investigation.
The Ambulance Service, which sent five ambulances to the scene, said it was astonishing a man and woman in the first car were able to escape with minor injuries despite “extensive damage” to their vehicle.
Three other cars collided as they tried to avoid the scene at the entrance to the underpass.
Of those people, two were taken to Heartlands Hospital with minor injuries.
The ambulance service said they dealt with 13 patients in total.
Police are working to contact families of those involved.
Images of the devastation in the aftermath of the crash have been shared online.
Phillips urged people to send those images to police rather than posting them on the internet.
He said: “It’s a harrowing scene. There are families involved, these are real people involved. It is very distressing for everyone.
“To share images that would portray something that is perhaps unwelcome for the families and unhelpful for the investigation at this time – I would urge people not to do that.
“I would urge them to contact police and share it with West Midlands Police. It will be treated as evidence and information that might help us piece together exactly what’s happened.”
West Midlands Fire Service said 40 firefighters helped in the aftermath of the “horrific” crash, and were met with what they described as a “complex scene, spread over some distance”.