The incident occurred in County Kildare, Ireland, on Sunday, Aug. 16

NEED TO KNOW

• Five teenage boys died in a head-on collision after their car drove the wrong way on an Irish freeway
• A 3-year-old boy and three women in the second car were seriously injured and remain hospitalized
• Police are investigating the crash and warned against reckless driving for social media attention

Five teenage boys died after a car driving in the wrong direction on a freeway crashed into a family vehicle in Ireland.

At around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 16, a car driving southbound collided with another vehicle on the M9 Northbound at the third junction in County Kildare, Ireland’s National Police (INP) said in a press release.

“Emergency services were alerted to a vehicle travelling southbound on the northbound carriageway of the M9. The vehicle was driving on the M9 between junction 3 and 4 when a head-on collision occurred with a second car,” said the INP.

Five teenage boys, all traveling in one vehicle, died at the scene. Post-mortem examinations are being conducted at Naas General Hospital, per the release.

A 3-year-old boy traveling in the second car was seriously injured, along with a female passenger in her 20s. The driver and front passenger of the vehicle, both women in their 30s, are in critical condition, INP confirmed in another press release. The unidentified family is being treated in local hospitals, the police shared.

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INP Commissioner Justin Kelly said there was no pursuit taking place when the incident occurred, according to the Irish outlet RTÉ News. 

Kelly said in a statement, “My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9. These family members were traveling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.”

“This horrific incident … shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the [freeway] is,” he continued. “…What makes this reckless behavior 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.”

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is investigating the incident.

“…I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that [the INP] do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users,” said Kelly. “[The INP] are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents. As always, [the INP] will fully cooperate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.”

The police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information about what happened to contact Athy Garda Station on 01 666 6000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

PEOPLE has reached out to INP and the Police Ombudsman for further comment.

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