TAUNTON, England — At least seven people were killed and as many as 51 injured in a collision involving 34 vehicles on the M5 motorway near Taunton, southwestern England, on Friday night.

A police spokesman said that the death toll could rise as the recovery operation continued and extensive searches of vehicles and the surrounding highway were conducted.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham described many of the cars as being “burnt literally to the ground.”

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service described it as “the worst road traffic collision anyone can remember.”

Video footage from the scene showed several vehicles engulfed in flames and debris strewn across the road. A number of burning trucks also were on their sides.

“Most vehicles were well alight, and most continued to burn for a considerable time,” Bangham said, adding that it was too early to be able to establish what might have caused the accident.

Conditions on the road were described as “difficult” at the time of the smash, with reports of heavy fog and rain.

Police and 15 fire crews battled the fires and worked to free people from the wreckage on the northbound lanes.

The highway was closed in both directions, and police said it was likely to remain closed for the rest of Saturday.

Andrea Day from Trafficlink said it was the worst accident she had seen in the 10 years she had worked for the traffic information provider. “I have never come across an accident of this kind — not in terms of the volume of vehicles involved,” she said.

Local lawmaker Jeremy Browne paid tribute to the “bravery” of the emergency workers who dealt with the “horrendous accident.”

“There has not been a crash on this scale for many years, and the implications of it will be life-changing for many people,” he said in a statement.

A police helicopter takes off as the emergency services continue to attend the scene of the deadly crash in Taunton, England. (Getty Images)