Motorcyclists killed in Tyrone road crash named

Two Northern Ireland motorcyclist friends killed on a Co Tyrone road last night lived in the same street, it emerged today…

Two Northern Ireland motorcyclist friends killed on a Co Tyrone road last night lived in the same street, it emerged today.

Colin Thornton (43) and Tony Thompson (38) died after colliding with a lorry last night even kept their high-powered machines, a Kawasaki and a Suzuki GSXR 1000, in the same shed at their homes in Newtownstewart.

As police questioned the lorry driver - who is from the Republic - in a bid to find out what caused the crash, it also emerged that Mr Thompson and his partner, Tina McSorley, were due to get married next year.

The victims, from the town's Mourne Walk area, were killed instantly last night just outside Newtownstewart on the A5 to Strabane, the main Omagh-Derry road which has claimed several lives in the past.

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A parish priest told how he drove past them just before the tragedy, which brought the death toll on Northern Ireland's roads to 72 this year.

Police said the crash happened at around 7pm on a straight stretch of road in the townland of Milltown. The lorry collided with the bikes as it emerged from a roadside quarry and turned right towards Newtownstewart.

The driver was left deeply traumatised. He was interviewed by police a number of times as part of their investigation. Coroner's Court inquests will be held later.

Both victims, who worked in the construction industry, became friends after Mr Thompson moved into Mourne Walk with his partner and her young son.

Mr Thornton, known as Colly, is understood to have lived in England before returning home to Newtownstewart.