Five teenagers have died and four other people have been seriously injured in a crash involving a car driving in the wrong direction on a motorway in Ireland, police have said. Gardaí confirmed the bodies of the youths, all male, had been removed from the scene of the two-vehicle collision, which happened in the early hours of Sunday on the M9 in County Kildare.
The force said the occupants of the second vehicle involved, three women, two in their 30s and one in her 20s, and a boy, all remained in hospital with serious injuries. The Garda commissioner, Justin Kelly, described the head-on collision between the two cars as “horrific” and said “in some cases” vehicles were being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes.
Last weekend, nine people were injured in a head-on collision on the M50 in Dublin involving a car travelling in the wrong direction. Describing Sunday’s crash, Kelly said: “These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway. This horrific incident, after the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the motorway is.”
He added: “As this particular incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the police ombudsman, I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users.” Officers are investigating the circumstances of the crash, which happened at junction 3 of the motorway, near Athy, at about 3am on Sunday.
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision or had dashcam footage to come forward.