The first photos have been released of four young people who died in a devastating car crash on their way to a party.
Luke McSweeney, 24, was driving his little sister Grace and two of her friends, Zoey Coffey and Nicole Murphy, to celebrate their exam results.
Earlier that day, the three 18-year-old girls had received their Leaving Certificate grades – the final tests in the Irish secondary school system.
The car was travelling along Mountain Road in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, when it hit a wall on Friday evening, it is believed.
The families who have so suddenly lost their loved ones have appealed for privacy, superintendent Kieran Ruane said on Saturday afternoon.
He said the Garda investigation would look at the heavy downpours which hit the area that night.
Mr Ruane went on to describe the scene as ‘very difficult’ for first responders who attended and worked in a way that he said was ‘exemplary’.
‘For the members to arrive and quickly realise that there was three Leaving Cert students and their brother at the scene, and unfortunately all were dead, is a very traumatic scene for everybody,’ the officer added.
Local secondary schools that the four had attended opened on Saturday to support students as the community comes to terms with the tragedy.
Several local sporting events and the Clonmel Pride parade, as well as other activities in the area, have been cancelled in the wake of the fatal crash out of respect for the grieving families.
Bouquets of flowers were left near the scene by locals and students, who were seen comforting each other.
Ireland’s premier Leo Varadkar said: ‘For young lives, so full of possibility, to be cut short in this way is truly devastating and heartbreaking. The whole nation mourns them.
‘My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died and the wider community in Clonmel and Tipperary. The thoughts of the whole country are with them, their school and their community.’
Similarly, minister for education Norma Foley said: ‘This is heartbreaking news on what should have been a day of enormous celebration and joy for the class of 2023.
‘School communities in Ireland are akin to tight-knit families and I know this morning that staff, students, parents and guardians will be united in their grief and utter devastation at this tragic and sudden loss of life.’
The scene at Mountain Road remains closed to allow for a forensic examination, and Gardai are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Anyone with camera footage or images from the Mountain Road, specifically the Hillview area, between 7pm and 7.30pm on Friday is asked to submit it to Gardai.
Post-mortem examinations are to be carried out over the coming days at Waterford University Hospital.
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