Teens killed in car crash as BMW drove wrong way down motorway named and pictured
The group allegedly stole the BMW they were travelling in, which crashed into another vehicle in a head-on collision near junction 3 on the northbound M9, at about 3am.
The five teenagers who died after they drove down the wrong side of a motorway in Ireland have been named and pictured for the first time since the horror crash.
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Five teenagers, all occupants of one of the vehicles, died and four people were seriously injured in the crash on the M9 motorway in Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday morning.
They have been named locally as Joe Carthy, 15, Kamil Pustowski, 17, Jack Kennedy, 17, Alex McCarthy, 17, and Jeremy O'Brien, 18.
The group allegedly stole the BMW they were travelling in, which crashed into another vehicle in a head-on collision near junction 3 on the northbound M9, at about 3am.
Sisters Alma and Niamh Kinsella, in their 30s, were in the front seats of the second vehicle, according to The Irish Times.
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They reportedly remain in hospital in a serious condition.
A gardaí spokesperson said the bodies of the five teenage males have been recovered from the scene - but they have not been formally identified.
Their bodies have been taken to Naas General Hospital where post-mortem examinations will take place.
A spokesperson added: “The occupants of the second vehicle, three women, two aged in their 30s, one in her 20s, and a male child all remain in hospital continuing to receive treatment for serious injuries.
“Forensic collision investigators have completed their examination of the scene.”
Emergency services were alerted to a vehicle travelling southbound on the M9 northbound carriageway between junctions 3 and 4 when it collided head-on with the other car.
A body representing rank-and-file members of Ireland’s police service An Garda Síochána said an instruction had been given not to pursue the vehicle the wrong way down the motorway.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “shocked and saddened” at the horrific road crash on the M9 in Kildare yesterday, which he described as being the result of “an irresponsible and dangerous act”.
Mr Martin said such incidents are, in some cases, “being done for likes on social media”.
He said: “This is the second appalling crash we’ve seen on our roads in a matter of days as a result of the reckless driving of a car on the wrong side of the motorway, endangering the lives of innocent road users.”
He added: “My thoughts and prayers are with the family who have been injured. I wish them a full recovery.“The lives of five teenagers have also been lost as a result.“Every death on our roads brings untold grief to families and communities.
“There can be no tolerance for this reckless behaviour that we have seen on our roads recently.“It must stop.”
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has described the head-on collision between junctions 3 and 4 as “horrific” and warned that “in some cases” vehicles are being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes.
A local school principal in Carlow said the town is “numb”.
St Joseph’s National School principal and Fine Gael councillor Fergal Browne told the same programme: “There’s a huge range of emotions.
“This is a tragedy on so many levels and it’s going to take a long time to recover from.“People are thinking of the family who were involved in the crash on the way to the airport, and everyone is hoping, they’ll make full recoveries and obviously the families of the people who passed away are grieving and they’ve a long difficult journey ahead of them as well.”