'Total devastation' as two young men die in cross-border crash

Two young men from Londonderry have been killed and a third seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash in County Donegal near the border with Northern Ireland.

The two men have been named as Daniel Cullen and Caoimhin Porter-McLoone, both aged 18 and from Shantallow.

Gardaí (Irish police) said a car and a lorry were involved in the collision in the village of St Johnston, about eight miles from Derry, at 23:15 local time on Tuesday.

The passengers in the car both died due to the crash - one at the scene, the second at Altnagelvin Hospital.

The driver of the car has been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast with serious injuries.

Caoimhín's old primary school wrote on social media that he had been a "kind, caring boy who loved sports" when he was a pupil there.

Shantallow Community Centre also paid tribute in a social media post where it said it would provide a space for friends and loved ones to come together in their grief.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of two of our local young men last night. The pain being felt across our community right now is unimaginable," it said in a statement.

A senior priest has confirmed that all three came from the Shantallow area of Derry.

Fr Michael Canny, a spokesperson for the Derry diocese, has spent time with two of the families involved.

He said "no words" could offer any consolation to them and described what had happened as "total devastation".

"It's the families that are left behind and they're the ones who will carry this with them all their lives, because their lives have changed forever utterly," he said.

No other injuries have been reported in the collision.

The R236 road reopened on Wednesday afternoon.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward.

Road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, and were travelling in the area between 22:45 and 23:45 are asked to make this available to investigating gardaí.

Raymond McDaid, who owns a car-dismantling business near the scene of the crash, said there was a "sombre mood" in the village and that everyone's heart goes out to the bereaved families.

He described the crash scene as an "accident blackspot" which requires "urgent attention".

Thomas McGrath, who works in a filling station near the crash scene, said local people were shocked by the news and there had been "countless accidents" on that stretch of road.

"It's just a tragedy and there have been so many deaths on the roads in recent days," he said.

There have been 25 road deaths in the Republic of Ireland already this year, according to the latest data on the Garda website.

Speaking generally about road deaths in recent weeks PSNI Ch Supt Sam Donaldson said 15 people have died on roads in Northern Ireland in the same period.

"That's just mind blowing when you think of how many homes this has visited in the last few weeks," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

"Seven drivers, four passengers, and four pedestrians, which sounds like statistics.

"These are not just stats. Every one of those is a family that'll never be the same again."