Rally of Great Britain officials insist the event is "well marshalled" despite a crash which left 13 spectators needing hospital treatment.

Carlos Sainz veered off the road and into a spectator area on the 11th stage in south Wales on Saturday.

The accident happened in Brechfa Forest, near Carmarthen, in foggy conditions.

Organisers say safety precautions were in place.

Spokesman David Richards said: "This rally has very clear rules over the number of people allowed onto the stages.

"They are very well marshalled at every junction and every corner.

"You will get these extraordinary accidents that you just don't anticipate."

The incident is the latest in a series of rally crashes around the world over the last two years:

July 2001: A family of four were killed when a competitor lost control of his car during the RallyLana race near Turin, Italy.

April 2001: Two people died and three others were injured when a car hit a group of spectators at a rally in Jerez de los Caballeros near Badajoz, Spain.

September 2000: Five people, including a child, were killed and eight others injured when a driver lost control of his car in a rally in Burgundy, France. The driver died after hitting a pylon which collapsed on to spectators.

May 2000: Two people were killed and a third was injured when they were hit by Russian Sergei Uspenkski's car during the Bulgarian Albena rally.

February 2000: An 11-year-old boy was killed and five people were hurt when a car crashed into spectators at a motor rally in Northumberland, north-east England.

October 1999: Three spectators died and three were seriously injured when a car ploughed into onlookers during a rally in the Corte area of central Corsica.

The sport's governing body, the FIA, has launched an inquiry into the latest accident, at the Rally of Great Britain.

Organisers have released a telephone number for anyone who wants to check on family or friends who might have been in the Brechfa forest area. It is 01267 232 000.

And police in Carmarthen have issued three new telephone numbers for concerned family and friends to call. They are: (01267) 226112, 226114 and 226115.