POLICE have today made a fresh appeal for witnesses into a fatal multi-vehicle crash which killed a woman on a Hampshire motorway.

The middle-aged victim was a passenger in one of four vehicles which crashed on the M3 between junctions nine and ten near Winchester which forced an overnight closure of the road.

She died at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital despite attempts to save her.

Last night police investigators were still desperately trying to trace the driver of the fourth vehicle - 24 hours after the motorist had failed to stop following the crash.

Officers are also still trying to notify relatives of the woman who has not yet been named.

The collision happened at 6.47pm on Monday when at least three vehicles were caught in the crash on the northbound carriageway.

Police are hunting the driver of a fourth vehicle which is believed to have been involved in the incident but did not stop.

They also want to speak to drivers of two lorries which stopped at the scene but did not leave their details.

One had CH written on the back, while another had a red cab and was carrying a silver container.

All three lanes of the carriageway were shut between until the early hours of the morning while one lane on the southbound section was coned off to allow emergency services to attend the casualties.

A male passenger was also hurt and taken to the same hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

But drivers of the three vehicles were unharmed.

The incident called severe delays for thousands of commuters making their way home from work with many people stuck in long tailbacks for up to an hour as the route was sealed off between junctions 11 and nine.

Motorists heading towards Winchester and London were forced to navigate long diversions to get back onto the motorway.

Witnesses should contact police with information by calling 101 and quoting Operation Hemisphere.