Kent Police said more than 30 vehicles were involved in a collision on the London-bound M20 late on Saturday, with thick fog confirmed along the carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 near Hollingbourne. Two people were seriously injured and paramedics treated 11 people at the scene before recovery crews began clearing wreckage that kept the motorway shut in both directions overnight.
What emergency crews faced
Officers were called at about 18:41 to the stretch between Hollingbourne and Ashford. Kent Fire and Rescue Service sent three engines and a technical rescue unit, alongside an air ambulance team. National Highways said visibility was poor enough that drivers reported near-zero sight lines moments before the chain-reaction crash formed across multiple lanes.
One of the seriously injured patients was taken to a hospital in Kent and the other to a London trauma centre, according to police. Additional drivers reported injuries that forces described as not believed to be serious. No fatalities were announced by Sunday morning, though investigators had not finished interviewing everyone involved.
Traffic and diversion impact
The closure blocked the main road link between the Channel ports and the M25, pushing freight and passenger traffic onto A-road diversions through the Weald. Traffic cameras showed stationary queues building on alternative routes as fog lingered into the early hours. National Highways said both carriageways would remain shut while debris was swept and barrier repairs were assessed.
Sunday drivers heading to Remembrance events in London were advised to check updates before setting out. The crash came the night before the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, an evening when many veterans travel toward the capital along the M20 corridor from Dover and Folkestone.
Investigation and witness appeals
Kent Police asked anyone with dashcam or mobile footage from the 30 minutes before the collision to submit it through the force’s online portal. Detectives will examine whether speed, following distances, or disabled lighting played a role, but said it was too early to attribute blame to any single vehicle. Weather forecasts for Sunday predicted improving visibility, which recovery teams said would speed clearance work.
For Kent residents, the incident is the second major motorway disruption in a month after closures elsewhere in the county for bridge repairs. Police stressed that motorists should treat dense fog as a full hazard, not a brief patch, and keep greater spacing even when traffic appears light.
What happens next
Forces expect the motorway to reopen once mechanical checks confirm the road surface and barriers are safe. Police said updates would be posted on National Highways’ channels throughout Sunday. Insurance assessors and vehicle examiners were due on site to catalogue the scale of damage across the dozens of cars, vans, and lorries caught in the pile-up.