- 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.
- The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday on the M9 in County Kildare, and the bodies of the youths, all male, were removed from the scene of the two-vehicle collision.
- The second vehicle's occupants—three women (two in their 30s and one in her 20s) and a boy—remained in hospital with serious injuries.
- The bodies of the teenagers were taken to Naas general hospital for postmortem examinations, and Gardaí are appealing for witnesses or dashcam footage.
Five teenagers tragically lost their lives and four others sustained serious injuries in a head-on collision on Ireland's M9 motorway early Sunday morning. The crash occurred at approximately 3 a.m. near Athy, when a vehicle was reported traveling southbound on the northbound carriageway.1
Gardaí confirmed that the deceased, all male, were removed from the scene of the two-vehicle collision. The occupants of the second vehicle, which included three women and a boy, are currently hospitalized with serious injuries. The female driver and front-seat passenger are in critical condition, while a rear-seat passenger in her 20s and a child were also taken to hospitals in serious condition.3
Garda commissioner Justin Kelly described the incident as “horrific”, emphasizing the dangers of driving on the wrong side of the motorway, which he noted has been linked to reckless behavior for social media attention. This incident follows another recent head-on collision on the M50 in Dublin, where nine people were injured under similar circumstances.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to assist in the investigation into this tragic event. The bodies of the teenagers have been taken to Naas General Hospital for postmortem examinations.45
“The collision occurred in the early hours of Sunday in County Kildare, and all five victims were male. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses or dashcam footage as postmortem examinations are due at Naas general hospital.”
The Guardian
