Gardaí in Cork yesterday launched an investigation into a series of multiple-car collisions on the city's South Link road which resulted in major morning traffic delays.
No one was injured in the collisions which involved 14 cars, but the pile-ups caused gridlock on both the westbound and eastbound lanes of the South Link road.
The first collision involving seven cars happened at about 8am on the westbound carriageway of the South Link heading towards the Kinsale Road roundabout, opposite the Rochestown Park Hotel.
Five minutes later, four cars were involved in a pile-up near the Bloomfield junction on the South Link road, again heading west. At about the same time, another three cars were involved in a pile-up in the eastbound carriageway of the same roadway.
Another incident at 8.10am near the Dunkettle roundabout on the northern side of the Jack Lynch Tunnel also added to congestion, and westbound traffic had to be diverted through the city centre to avoid the delays on the South Link.
The delays led to a build-up of cars in the Jack Lynch Tunnel and the tunnel had to be closed temporarily because of the build-up of exhaust fumes from slow-moving and stationary traffic.
"It had been raining and roads were wet, but thankfully nobody was injured in any of the collisions and traffic was moving smoothly again by 9.30am," said a Garda spokesman.