Five teenage boys have died and four other people sustained serious injuries after a vehicle travelling on the wrong side of a motorway collided head-on with another car in County Kildare, Ireland.
The crash happened at about 03:00 local time on Sunday on the northbound M9 motorway near Junction 3.
According to Gardaí, the five teenagers were occupants of the vehicle travelling against the direction of traffic.
Their bodies were later recovered from the wreckage and taken to Naas General Hospital, where post-mortem examinations are expected to be conducted.
Four people travelling in the second vehicle were also seriously injured.
The driver and front-seat passenger, both women in their 30s, were taken to Tallaght University Hospital.
A woman in her 20s who was seated in the rear was transferred to St Luke’s General Hospital, while a child was taken to Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the injured occupants of the second vehicle as “family members” who were “travelling innocently” when they were struck by the car travelling on the wrong side of the motorway.
He called the crash a “horrific incident” and condemned what he described as “irresponsible and dangerous driving”.
“What makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.”
Kelly added that officers “do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users”.
“Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents.”
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that Gardaí said there was no police pursuit underway when the collision occurred.
The Office of the Police Ombudsman, known as Fiosrú, has been notified and its investigators attended the scene. An independent investigation is now underway.
Fiosrú said its involvement in cases where a member of the public dies or suffers serious injury following contact with Gardaí does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing by officers.
“Instead, it means that Fiosrú should independently investigate the incident to ascertain whether or not the act or omission of a garda or gardaí may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person,” it added.
Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh described the crash scene as “absolutely catastrophic”.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who have lost their lives, and for those who remain in a critical condition in hospital,” she said.
“My heart also goes out to the first responders and all of those working in our emergency services who were met with the most horrific of scenes this morning.
“This loss of life is colossal and the effect those losses will have on their friends and families is incalculable,” Ms Ní Raghallaigh added.
The M9 between Junctions 3 and 4 remains closed in both directions, with diversions in place.
Gardaí have appealed to anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward.
They are also seeking dashcam footage from motorists who travelled along the M9 between 02:00 and 03:00 on Sunday.
