Three Irish people have died in a car crash in southern Spain, local police have said.
Two women and a man from the Mullingar area of Co Westmeath, aged between 24 and 32, were fatally injured in the incident near Malaga early on Sunday morning.
They have been named locally as Mark McCullagh and Michaela Newcombe, a couple, and Amy McCullagh.
A fourth person was taken to hospital to be treated for serious injuries. He is Ian McCullagh, husband of Amy McCullagh and brother of Mark.
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The crash happened on the A7 motorway near Malaga at about 2.30am on Sunday.
The car in which the Irish group were travelling, a rented Mercedes, went through a barrier and plunged down an embankment, ending up on a nearby street, police said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said Irish consular teams in Spain are offering support to the families affected by the crash.
“This is an absolutely devastating accident, devastating for all of the families involved,” said McEntee.
“We reached out immediately to those involved. It’s a matter to try and identify those out there and to understand how this accident would have happened.
“We are providing consular assistance to all of the families that are involved here. One person is still critically ill and in the hospital, and I really do wish them recovery,” McEntee said.
“It is a tragic accident, and the most important thing now is that their families are supported and they are given every assistance possible. My department and the consular teams on the ground are doing just that,” she said.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard police force said: “Like the three people who died, the driver is also an Irish national, a man aged 31.
“He is in hospital and his condition is very serious.”
The spokesman said an investigation was ongoing and it was “too early” to say what caused the crash.
“A woman in the other car involved was treated at the scene for minor injuries,“ he said, adding the woman would be interviewed as part of the investigation.
“A series of technical data will enable investigators to determine the speed the crash vehicle was doing, if not the exact speed then very close to it,” the spokesman said.
“These cars nowadays don’t have a black box but they have information via computers that is going to facilitate the work of the investigators and obtain certain data.”
News of the crash was described as “absolutely devastating” by Longford–Westmeath TD Robert Troy, who said he had spoken to relatives of those involved in the incident.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said the people who died “only went on holidays at the end of last week”.
“Their family is processing now that some of them aren’t coming back home, and that is an awful thing to have to deal with,” the Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State added.
“Our thoughts are with that family, indeed all families that are affected, and all we can do is hold them in our thoughts and prayers over the coming days, as they come to terms with this great loss.”
Fr Norman Allred, a priest based in Mullingar, said it was “a heartbreaking day” for the community.
“The parish is holding everybody close in prayer, gathering information as best we can, and we’re ready to help family members, help friends, help anyone who needs prayer and condolence at this time and through these next several days,” he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.
