Five young people dead and three others injured in Louth collision
Ellen O'Donoghue
Five young people have died and three others have been injured in a road traffic collision in Co Louth.
The three men and two women who died were all in their early 20s.
All five were travelling in a car that collided with another vehicle on the Ardee Road at Gibstown just after 9pm on Saturday.
One of the injured parties was in the same car, and the other two people who were injured were in the other vehicle.
It is understood that the deceased may have been travelling to a location to socialise when the crash occurred, RTÉ reported.
Superintendent Charlie Armstrong, from Dundalk garda station, said: “Yesterday evening, just after 9pm there was a serious road traffic collision involving two vehicles, a Volkswagen Golf and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
“Five occupants of the Volkswagen Golf, three males and two females, all in their early 20s, were deceased at the scene.
“One occupant of the Volkswagen Golf, a male in his 20s, was removed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, for treatment of serious non-life-threatening injuries.
“The two occupants of the second vehicle, a male and a female, were also taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, for medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.”
Family Liaison Officers have been appointed to each of the families to provide support, Supt Armstrong added, and gardaí will keep the families updated on their investigation.
"I want to express my condolences and sympathies, and the sympathies of every member of An Garda Síochána to the families of the 5 young adults who lost their lives yesterday evening in this Road Traffic Collision," he said.
Gardaí were supported by other emergency services, including Dundalk Fire Brigade, HSE Paramedics and staff at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, as they initiated "a major incident response".
The L3168 remains closed between the N52 and the R171, which is preserved for a technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Local traffic diversions are in place.
The local coroner's office and the office of the State Pathologist have been notified and postmortems will be carried out over the coming days, Supt Armstrong said.
An incident room has been established at Dundalk Garda Station, and an investigation has commenced under a senior investigating officer.
"This is a shocking, devastating event for these families, their communities and the community here in Dundalk," Supt Armstrong added.
Gardaí said they are investigating all circumstances around the collision and have appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact them.
Any road users who may have camera footage, including dash cam, and were travelling on the L3169, Ardee Road, Dundalk, Co Louth, between 8.30pm and 9.15pm on Saturday, November 15th, have been asked to make their footage available to investigating gardaí.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact Dundalk Garda Station on 042 938 8400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
