A man died and a woman suffered serious injuries after being thrown from their vehicle in an horrific car smash in Bradford.

Imran Ahmed, 21, of Rayner Avenue, Girlington, died when the Peugeot 206 car he was driving along Wakefield Road into the city collided with the central reservation, went through metal railings and crossed onto the opposite side of the road, coming to rest near the junction with Vestry Street.

Mr Ahmed and his 24-year-old Asian female passenger, who is also local but has not been named, were thrown from the car and the car's engine flew out of the vehicle.

Other debris, including the metal railings separating the carriageways, was strewn across the road and the vehicle, pictured, was left a mangled wreck.

The woman was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary with "serious multiple injuries" and transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where her condition was today described as 'poorly, but stable'.

Mr Ahmed was pronounced dead at hospital.

A 38-year-old resident who lives near the scene, said: "I was in the house when I heard one hell of a bang - like somebody dropping a metal skip from a great height. When I came out, there were two people - a young Asian lad and a young Asian girl - who had been thrown from the car. She was on the other side of the railings and he was lying face down on this carriageway. Traffic stopped and everyone was on phones.

"I've lived here all my life and have seen lots of accidents but none as bad as this. How no-one else was injured, I'll never know."

Following the incident, the police helicopter circled the scene while residents came out of nearby houses to see what had happened.

A police spokesman said: "A Peugeot 206 car travelling along Wakefield Road, which is a dual carriageway, towards the city, collided with the central reservation and crossed over onto the outward bound carriageway.

"Any witnesses who saw the accident or who saw the vehicle just prior to the accident should contact us."

The collision took place at about 3.15pm on Saturday (Aug 16) and police closed Wakefield Road from the New Hey Road roundabout to Dudley Hill roundabout for four hours. The blockage caused traffic to queue along the road and surrounding back streets.

Firefighters from Bradford and Odsal attended and assisted paramedics at the scene.

A spokesman from Bradford fire service said: "Nobody was trapped in the car - the occupants had been thrown from the vehicle upon impact."

Witnesses or anyone else with information should contact the police on 0845 60 60 60 6.