The woman who died in yesterday's fatal six vehicile crash on the M1 motorway has been named as 80-year-old Maureen Buchanan.
The victim's name was confirmed as a senior PSNI officer explained why the decision to close both lanes of the motorway that lead to long tailbacks was taken.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said both the location of the six vehicle crash and the time it happened added to the complexity of the emergency operation that was put in place following the incident.
“Police received a report of this road traffic collision shortly after 5.30pm yesterday, Friday, 8 April and immediately updated social media, media outlets and liaised with our partner agencies. Regular updates were issued to drivers and media throughout the evening.
"We are aware of the difficulties and frustration caused last night and the major delays and inconvenience caused to commuters and families trying to get home.
"It is with reluctance that we close any road, particularly a motorway during Friday evening rush hour however, following any fatal road traffic collision police have an obligation to carry out a full and thorough investigation into the exact circumstances of the collision and the scene must be closed in order for that investigation to take place.
“Following this incident police had to safely remove the traffic from the motorway. Due to the amount of vehicular traffic at this time of evening, this took a considerable amount of time.
"While we try to ensure that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum, due to the location of this incident and the number of vehicles involved it was then necessary to close the motorway in both directions.
"Both lanes were reopened during the early hours of this morning."
Assistant Chief Constable Todd offered his condolences to the family of the deceased and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
"The motorway was obviously extremely busy at the time of the collision yesterday and we are keen to speak to drivers who may have witnessed what happened. Officers can be contacted on the non-emergency number 101.”
