LONDON - Four children and their parents died when their car burst into flames in an accident involving three lorries and another car on a motorway in Cheshire, police said on Tuesday.

Police identified the victims as David Statham, 38, and his wife Michelle, 33, and their four children Reece, 13; Jay, nine; Mason, 20 months; and baby Elouise, 10 weeks, the BBC reported. The accident happened on the northbound carriageway between Barthomley and Sandbach late on Monday.

Police said the family were from Llandudno in north Wales. No one else was injured.

The driver of one of the lorries, a 46-year-old Portuguese man working for a Spanish company, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

A Cheshire police spokeswoman said part of the motorway was closed for several hours while investigators worked at the scene. Police did not say what caused the crash.

The cars and trucks were removed for forensic tests.

In a separate incident less than two hours earlier, David Myers, 37, a former rugby league player with Widnes, Bradford, Salford and Wigan, was killed on the M6 when his van collided with a bridge.

"David was a popular member of the Widnes team and will no doubt be remembered by many for his celebration as Widnes beat Leeds in the 1993 Challenge Cup Semi-Final at Central Park," said Pat Cluskey, the Widnes Vikings' Operations Manager.

Police have appealed for witnesses to both accidents.