A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “On arrival, crews discovered three men.
“The first was the driver of the car. He was assessed and had sustained life-threatening injuries. He received advanced trauma care at the scene. He was conveyed to Royal Stoke Hospital by the Welsh Air Ambulance.”
“The second was the driver of the van. He was assessed and had sustained potentially life-threatening injuries. He received treatment from ambulance staff at the scene. He was conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital by air ambulance for further treatment.
“The third was a passenger in the car. He had sustained serious injuries that were not life-threatening. He received treatment at the scene. He was conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital by land ambulance for further assessment.”
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police confirmed they had attended along with colleagues from North Wales Police.
They said: "We were called shortly after 8am today to a two-vehicle head-on collision involving a car and a van on the A5 between Gledrid roundabout and Halton roundabout.
"North Wales Police also attended and the A5 was closed while the scene was being cleared."
Firefighters from Oswestry, Chirk and Wrexham were called and helped to extract two men from the vehicles using equipment. The third man self-extricated.
A spokesperson said: "The safety and well-being of those involved was our utmost priority.
"Fire crews carried out professional and effective extractions using Holmatro equipment and rescue techniques.
"Firefighters successfully released two males who were trapped in separate vehicles. These individuals have been airlifted to the hospital for further medical attention.
"A third male casualty had self-extracted before the attendance of fire engines."
They continued: "This incident caused significant inconvenience due to the resulting tailback of traffic. However, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their patience and cooperation during the time the road was closed."
According to traffic website Inrix there is still some congestion in the area, particularly in Chirk while the road remains closed.
West Mercia Police say this is likely to continue for "some time".
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