Two men driving home to Manchester were killed in a horrific multi-car crash on the A1.
A third man also died at the scene and another two men, also understood to be from the Manchester area, are seriously injured in hospital following the three car pile-up in Cambridgeshire in the early hours of Sunday.
It's understood the four Manchester men were travelling home after attending a celebration at a mosque in North London.
The crash took place just before 1am on Sunday on the A1 Northbound near Wothorpe.
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In a tribute, North Manchester Jame Masjid in Cheetham Hill said the two men who died were Mohammed Riyazuddin, a Qari at the mosque, and Adil Hussain.
The two injured men are also members of the mosque, the tribute said.
In a later tribute to Riyazuddin, the mosque described him as 'world renowned'.
The statement added: "He was returning to Manchester after attending a Naat Mehfil (a celebration) at Masjid e Quba in London and passed away in a horrific car accident.
"Qari Riyazuddin Ashrafi travelled from India to spread the word of Allah and His Beloved Prophet Mohammed Mustafa and devoted his entire life in the Khidmat of Deen.
"He was a Hafiz (a Muslim who knows the Quran by heart) and Qari who touched the hearts of millions with his sweet and beautiful recitation of the Quran in different parts of the world.
"He ignited the love of the Beloved Prophet through his melodious recitation of Naats (poetry in praise of the Islamic prophet Muhammad).
"Qari Riyazuddin leaves behind his elderly widowed mother, wife and 2 young children aged 6yrs old and an 18 month baby along with 8 siblings residing in a village near Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan."
In a statement, Cambridgeshire Police said: "Three people have died following a three-vehicle crash near Stamford.
"The incident happened at just before 1am on Sunday morning (January 16) on the A1 northbound near Wothorpe.
"The collision involved a blue VW Golf, a black BMW 520D and a red Land Rover Discovery.
"Three men aged 34, 25 and 38 died of their injuries at scene and two people were taken to hospital where they remain with serious injuries.
"We are appealing for witnesses, dashcam footage or anyone who saw the vehicles in the moments leading up to the incident to get in touch."
