A Garda who was injured in a crash in Donegal yesterday morning has died in hospital.
The 24-year-old garda, Gary McLoughlin from Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, was injured in a collision at Lisfannon on the Bridgend to Buncranna road when the patrol car he was in was hit by another car involved in a garda pursuit at 1.30am yesterday.
He died overnight in Letterkenny General Hospital, a Garda spokesman confirmed. His colleague, Garda Bernard McLoughlin from Gurteen, Co Sligo, was also injured in the collison and is in a stable condition.
The driver of the other car is also in a stable condition at the hospital.
The Garda Ombudsman Commission will investigate the crash. Gardaí in Buncrana have appealed for witnesses.
Garda McLoughlin had been stationed at Buncrana for four years.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern and Garda Commissioner Fachta Murphy both expressed their shock at the death of the member of the force and offered their condolences to his family and friends. Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to visit the Garda station at Buncrana later this afternoon to meet with Garda McLoughlin's colleagues.
The Garda pursuit began shortly after 1am yesterday when plainclothes gardaí in an unmarked patrol car spotted a Northern-registered red Opel Astra leaving a filling station outside Buncrana at high speed.
The gardaí gave chase and, when unable to keep up with the fleeing vehicle, called for assistance.
A patrol car joined the chase and pursued the Opel in the direction of the Border.
According to reliable sources the Opel suddenly turned and headed back in the direction of Letterkenny. It was then in a head-on collision with the marked Garda car, which had reportedly already pulled over on to the hard shoulder on its own side of the road.
It is believed the officers in the unmarked car had recognised the Opel driver as a person who was wanted for questioning by gardaí.
Gardaí in the marked patrol car intended to apprehend the wanted driver with a ¿stinger¿ ¿ a device spread across a road which punctures a vehicle¿s tyres.
The Garda Ombudsman last night appealed for help from motorists travelling on the Letterkenny-Derry road between 1am and 2am.
A spokesman said anybody who was overtaken by a red Opel Astra AHZ 5912 or a navy blue Ford Mondeo 07D 8652 should contact the Garda Ombudsman commission at 1890-600800.
The death is the second such fatality in the Garda division this year. Garda Robbie McCallion (29) died less than two weeks after he was seriously injured while investigating the theft of a car at Tara Court, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, on March 26th.