THREE TEENAGERS and two people in their 20s have died following road traffic crashes in Cork, Down, Dublin and Mayo over the weekend.
In Dublin, two male teenagers were killed when the car in which they were travelling crashed into a wall in Lucan on Saturday morning.
Three other males who were travelling in the vehicle were injured in the incident, which occurred at the junction of the Old Lucan Road and Brookevale Estate shortly after 11am.
All five occupants of the car were taken to the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown for treatment.
One of the teenagers was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. A second died some time later. A third was last night said to be in a stable condition, while two others were released following treatment.
Witnesses to the crash or anyone who saw a light blue Citroen C3 in the area are asked to contact Lucan Garda station on (01) 666 7300.
In Cork, a woman was killed when her car collided with another vehicle on the main N8 Cork to Dublin road near Mitchelstown on Saturday.
Ciara O’Brien (26), Bellevue, Fermoy, died after her car crashed into another vehicle, which had five occupants, at Cloonlough at about 6.20pm.
Ms O’Brien was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the other car and four young passengers, aged between five and 12, were taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
Gardaí closed off the road to allow forensic crash investigators to examine the scene and temporary diversions were put in place.
The vehicles were left at the scene to assist the forensic investigation, but were removed yesterday morning to Mitchelstown Garda station for a technicaly examination by a Garda PSV inspector. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Fermoy Garda station on (025) 82100.
In Co Mayo, a Lithuanian national was killed when the car in which he was a passenger collided with another vehicle near Castlebar.
Karoys Kryzevivius (26), who had lived in the Castlebar area for some time, sustained fatal injuries following the collision at Balla on Friday night.
The drivers of the two vehicles were taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar, but their injuries were not serious. Castlebar gardaí have appealed to any witnesses to the incident to contact them on (094) 902 2222.
Meanwhile, a young man has died and two others were injured in a two-vehicle car crash in Co Down. Darren Brown (19), from Downpatrick, was killed in the collision near Saintfield in Co Down before 11pm on Saturday.
He is the 35th person to die on Northern roads this year. Two others were injured in the same collision and they are understood not to be seriously hurt. A woman in another vehicle escaped uninjured.
In another incident in Co Down, a woman was critically injured when she was struck by a car on Main Street, Ballynahinch, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A man in his 40s and a child are both in critical condition after a crash on the M50 motorway in Dublin.
The single vehicle crash happened at 12.45pm on Saturday near the Red Cow junction. Two other children travelling in the car were also injured.
One has since been released from hospital while the other is said to be in a stable condition.