A mother killed in a car crash which put her daughter in hospital was today described as a "soft, beautiful, kind human being," by her devastated family.

Matloob Bi, 48, was a passenger in the Vauxhall Cavalier which crashed into a lamppost on Friday night on the A647 Stanningley bypass. Her 22-year-old daughter Rehana was today in a stable condition in Leeds General Infirmary.

Mrs Bi's younger daughter Shabana, 16, said she was in shock. "When the police arrived, they told us what happened and we couldn't believe it. Mum and Rehana went everywhere together. We can't believe our mum has gone forever."

The pair were on their way home after visiting a relative in St James's Hospital on Friday night when the smash occurred. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Today members of the family paid tribute to the devoted mother-of-four and said their prayers were with Rehana whose condition was described as critical but stable.

Rehana's cousin, Nasreen Khan, said mum and daughter were like sisters. "Both Rehana and her mum were the best of friends. They went everywhere together. Wherever Rehana went, she always took her mother."

On Friday night, the pair had been to visit an uncle who was in St James's Hospital in Leeds. They dropped off another relative at a house in West Bowling and said they would return after the hospital visit.

Mrs Bi's sister Nasreen, 33, said: "We waited and waited. They left us at about 6.30pm and we were wondering why they were taking so long. We rang the hospital and were told they had left at about 8pm."

At 10pm police officers arrived at the family home in Selborne Terrace to inform them of the death. Mrs Bi's husband, Pervaiz Akhtar, was in Pakistan and flew back to England on Sunday.

He has kept a constant vigil at his daughter's bedside along with his two sons, Sajid and Majid.

Mrs Bi's funeral was held at the packed Hanfia mosque on Monday and people from across the country paid their respects to the housewife.

Nasreen, who lives in Rotherham, said her older sister had begged her to visit. The mother-of-two said: "She kept ringing me to come to Bradford, saying that she missed me and wanted to see me. She was so loving, so jolly and friendly. She was a beautiful, soft, kind person. She cared for me like a daughter, not a sister. She would always ring me to check I was okay. It's just a tragedy what has happened."

Rehana, a former Belle Vue Girls' School pupil, passed her driving test five years ago and often drove long distances to visit relatives, her aunt said.