Elderly woman dies after A5 crash

Bernadette 'Bernie' Cranley died as the result of a crash close to the entrance of the Ulster American Folk Park on Saturday

An 82-year-old woman has died after a crash on the A5 in County Tyrone.

She was Bernadette Cranley, known as Bernie, from Lifford in County Donegal.

The car she was driving was in collision with a SUV on the Mellon Road between Omagh and Newtownstewart at about 12:30 BST on Saturday.

The driver of the other vehicle, a woman in her 70s, was seriously injured and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Flowers have been left at the site of a crash on the A5 near Omagh

The crash happened close to the entrance to the Ulster American Folk Park outside Omagh.

Events which were due to take place at the park on Saturday night as part of the Bluegrass Omagh Festival were called off.

Throw-in for the GAA match between Donegal and Tyrone in Ballybofey was also postponed until 19:15 local time due to the collision.

The road, which was closed for a number of hours, has since reopened, police have said.

The crash happened close to the entrance to the Ulster American Folk Park outside Omagh

West Tyrone assembly member (MLA) Daniel McCrossan said tragedies resulting from the A5 are "never ending".

"Can I ask our community to keep all those affected in their thoughts and prayers," he added.

He said: "Every single week there is an issue here, someone is either seriously injured or put at serious risk.

"There is nothing like getting that knock at the door, and there is another family today that will be devastated by the impact of that."

Daniel McCrossan has called for urgent action to make the A5 safe

McCrossan said if the A5 road is not upgraded more lives will be lost.

"This is a matter of urgency now," he added.

More than 50 people have died on Northern Ireland's A5 road - which runs between Londonderry and Aughnacloy - since 2006.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

'No part of the A5 is safe'

Chair of the A5 Enough is Enough campaign, Niall McKenna, said Saturday's crash has left "yet another family grieving".

"There is absolutely no stretch of this road that is safe," he told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme.

Mr McKenna said the current road was designed for a "bygone era" and currently serves a "catastrophic mix" of long-distance, heavy haulage and local traffic.

Niall McKenna leads a campaign group, set up to put pressure on Stormont to deliver the long-awaited A5 upgrade

The A5 upgrade has faced opposition, legal challenges and funding issues since it was first announced in 2007.

It will require the compulsory purchase of land to construct the road.

The Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A) group have successfully brought a number of legal challenges in recent years.

In the Republic of Ireland, three women have been killed in separate incidents on Saturday.

Two pedestrians - one in her late 20s in County Wexford and another in her 60s in County Meath - and a cyclist in her 70s in County Clare died in the crashes.

What is the A5?

The road, which is more than 58 miles (94km) long, is single carriageway for most of its length, with overtaking lanes in some sections.

The A5 is a vital artery of the Northern Ireland road network.

It is also the main north-south route in the west of Northern Ireland, providing a link between County Donegal and Dublin, via the N2 in County Monaghan.

A £1.2bn upgrade to the road was announced last year by then Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd, but is now the subject of a judicial review.

Mr McKenna said ruling on the latest objection is due within the coming months.

"Our evidence has always been whilst you have a lot data and a lot of evidence to go through, the only data and evidence that is important is the amount of deaths on this road."