Three die and one injured in County Carlow crash

Three people have died and one has been injured in a single-car crash in County Carlow in the Republic of Ireland.

It happened at about 23:30 local time on Wednesday in Leagh, about 5km (3.1m) from Carlow town on the road to Wexford.

Three people in the car - the driver and two passengers - all understood to be in their 20s, were pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth person in the vehicle, a man in his 20s, was taken to St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny.

His injuries are serious but non-life threatening.

The N80 at Leagh is currently closed and will remain closed for a number of hours as Garda Forensic Collision Investigators examine the scene.

Local diversions are in place.

Parish priest Fr Tom Little told broadcaster RTÉ he was called to the scene last night.

He told Morning Ireland he had administered last rites.

"It's just so sad that so many young people lose their lives in car accidents," he said.

Fr Little told the programme a number of fatalities had happened on the same road previously.

Emergency services at a roadblock on the N80 at Leagh on the Wexford Road, in Co Carlow

Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar sent his condolences to the families and local community, adding that he hoped the man in hospital would make a speedy recovery.

Fianna Fáil politician Jennifer Murnane-O'Connor said the road was a "well known" dangerous spot and that work was in progress to make it safer.

"It's the urgency of this now. We cannot have any more fatalities on our roads. One is too many. We need to have proper infrastructure, proper safety issues on our road signage," she said.

Gardaí (Irish police) are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward.

Any road users who may have footage and were on the N80 at Leagh between 23:15 and midnight are asked to get in touch with Gardaí.