POLICE investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl in a car crash were last night questioning two men.

The girl, from Pickering, North Yorkshire, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which happened on the A170 at about 6.30pm on Saturday.

A blue Vauxhall Corsa, in which she was a passenger, went out of control at Snainton, near Ebberston, about eight miles east of Pickering.

The car left the road and ended up on its roof.

The driver, an 18-year-old man from Pickering, suffered minor injuries and spent the night in hospital.

He was arrested yesterday, along with another 18-yearold man, also from Pickering, who was driving a white Ford Fiesta that was travelling in convoy with the Corsa.

Both were last night helping police with their inquiries.

Pickering mayor Joan Lovejoy last night sent her condolences to the family of the unnamed teenager, who is understood to have been a student at Lady Lumley’s School in the town.

She also urged drivers using the single-carriageway A170 to take care.

Mrs Lovejoy said: “This is a great tragedy for any family, particularly so for the family of a young girl. My thoughts are with them at this sad time.

The A170 is not very wide, so it is not the easiest road to drive on.”

Mrs Lovejoy said one of the worst stretches of the A170 for accidents is to the west of Pickering.

Traffic Sergeant Neil Campbell, of North Yorkshire Police’s road policing group, said: “It is vital to the investigation that anyone who witnessed the collision gets in touch. I am particularly interested in speaking to anyone who saw the Corsa prior to the collision or a Fiesta that was travelling in company with it.”

The cars were travelling towards Scarborough, close to the junction with the B1258, on the Pickering side of Chris Hodgson’s car showroom.

Police are continuing to investigate a crash in Dishforth Road, near Ripon, on Thursday, in which an 87-year-old woman died.

Witnesses to either of the incidents are asked to call 0845-60-60-24-7.