Five teenage boys died after a two-vehicle crash on the M9 Northbound in County Kildare at about 03:00 local time on Sunday. Four other people were taken to hospital, and the section between Junction 3 and Junction 4 stayed closed with local diversions in place.
Gardaí said the bodies of the five boys were removed from the scene and taken to Naas General Hospital for post mortems. The driver and front passenger of the second car, both women in their 30s, were taken to Tallaght University Hospital in critical condition.
Justin Kelly on County Kildare
Justin Kelly described the crash as a "horrific incident" and said the driving involved was "irresponsible and dangerous driving". He added: "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 also said Gardaí must "do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users" and that "Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents."
Fiosrú at Junction 3
Gardaí said the vehicle carrying the five teenage boys had been travelling on the wrong side of the carriageway before the head-on collision with the second car. The rear seat passenger, a woman in her 20s, was taken to St. Luke's General Hospital in serious condition, while a child passenger was taken to Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin in serious condition.
Gardaí said there was no pursuit taking place when the collision occurred. Fiosrú's on-call team of investigators attended the scene and an independent investigation is ongoing.
The closure on the M9 between Junction 3 and Junction 4 affected both directions, and that leaves drivers with local diversions while investigators examine how the car carrying the five teenage boys ended up on the wrong side of the carriageway.
