Two women have been airlifted to hospital after a serious collision in Co Tipperary.
The crash occurred at about 5.40pm on the M7 Limerick to Nenagh road. Two cars were involved, a Garda spokesman said.
The two women are in their late-twenties and were airlifted to Cork University Hospital with injuries described as serious.
Two other women of the same age were brought by ambulance to Limerick with injuries described as non-critical.
There was some suggestion tonight that a heavy hail shower may have led to a sudden deterioration in driving conditions.
A completely separate incident on the other side of the same road occurred around the same time – but nobody was injured.
The two collisions resulted in the entire stretch of road being closed for a time. There were long delays as a result but the southbound lane was reopened at 7pm. The northbound lane remains closed.
A separate crash on the Nenagh to Cloghjordan road delayed traffic but did not require the closure of the road.