Two killed as stolen car crashes in Louth

Gardaí in Co Louth are appealing for witnesses to a crash in which two people were killed, one of whom was a passenger in a stolen car, and in which a teenage girl was seriously injured.

The crash happened on the Dundalk-Carlingford road at Annaloughan shortly before 3am yesterday.

George Campbell (64), Annaloughan, Jenkinstown, Co Louth, and David Keenan (17), Culfore, Mountpleasant, Co Louth, died at the scene and were removed to Louth County Hospital.

Mr Keenan was the front-seat passenger in the stolen car, a silver Audi with Northern registration plates. The car was stolen in Newry just over a week ago and was fitted with false number plates.

Mr Campbell, a married man with one daughter, was the driver of the other car.

It is understood that the driver of the stolen car fled the scene on foot. A back-seat passenger in the Audi car, a 17-year-old girl, was in a critical but stable condition at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, yesterday. A man who is understood also to have been in the stolen car at the time of the collision also attended Our Lady of Lourdes hospital yesterday and has been questioned by gardaí.

No arrests have been made, but gardaí in Dundalk have said they are no longer searching for anyone in relation to the incident. They are, however, continuing to appeal for witnesses and are particularly interested in speaking to a girl who was given a lift home in the Audi to a house in Dundalk shortly before the crash. Gardaí said she may not have realised that the car was stolen.

Meanwhile, a 77-year-old man died in Cork University Hospital on Saturday evening as a result of a two-car collision in which he was involved on St Patrick's Day.

The crash happened on the N22 at Farranfore, Co Kerry. The man who died was the driver of one of these cars.

In Co Wicklow, gardaí at Bray are seeking witnesses in relation to a fatal crash on the M50 on Friday night. A 21-year-old woman died when two cars collided near the Loughlinstown/Cherrywood exit of the M50, going southbound, at about 10.30pm.

Meanwhile gardaí have traced the suspected driver in a hit-run crash that claimed the life of an student in Co Donegal on St Patrick's Day. Laura Hegarty (18) died instantly when she was struck by a car while walking home in the early hours of Sunday last week in Letterkenny.

Garda sources yesterday confirmed they are no longer looking for the motorist. They said they were about to question a local man in his early 20s about the incident.

He is believed to have made telephone contact with gardaí after they visited his home as part of their search for the car involved in the tragedy.

Closed circuit TV footage and debris at the scene assisted gardaí in identifying the silver-coloured Honda Civic which they believe was involved. A detailed forensic examination of the vehicle is due to start today at Letterkenny Garda station.

Ms Hegarty was one of five people killed on the Donegal roads in 16 hours over the St Patrick's holiday weekend.