A fifth person has died following the M9 horror crash, it has emerged.
The Irish Mirror has confirmed that the remains of another young male were found at the scene of the accident on Sunday afternoon.
It had initially been suspected that the crash – at around 3am – had cost the lives of four young males, but sources have confirmed that officers this afternoon found the body of another victim in the wreckage of one of the cars.
All the victims were young males, it is understood.
And we also understand all of the deceased were from the car that was travelling the wrong way down the northbound carriageway of the M9 near Athy in Co Kildare when the tragedy happened.
The car, a BMW, was heading southbound against traffic when it collided with a car carrying four members of the extended family.
Three women in the car, one in her 20s and two in their 30s, were injured, as was a seven-year-old child.
The child is understood to have suffered a broken leg and is being treated at the Children’s Health Ireland Hospital in south Dublin.
The female in her 20s was seriously injured and is being treated in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. The two other women are being treated in Tallaght Hospital in south Co Dublin.
Speaking today, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said: “My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9. These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.
“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong-side of the motorway is. That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.
“As this particular incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that Gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users. Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents. As always, An Garda Síochána will fully cooperate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.
“My thoughts are also with all members of An Garda Síochána and the emergency services who had to deal with this awful incident this morning. Such incidents show the difficult work we ask our Gardaí to undertake every day to keep our communities safe.”
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