Multiple people killed and others seriously injured after head-on crash on Irish motorway

Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREE See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 06:50 EDT, 16 August 2026 | Updated: 06:51 EDT, 16 August 2026 Multiple people have been killed and others seriously injured after a head-on crash in Ireland. Police have said a car was travelling the wrong way down a motorway in Co Kildare before it smashed into another vehicle. A gardai spokesman said 'a number of fatalities have occurred' following the collision, which happened at junction 3 on the M9 at around 3am on Sunday. Emergency services were alerted to a vehicle travelling southbound on the M9 northbound carriageway. The female driver and front-seat passenger of the second car, both aged in their 30s, have been taken to Tallaght University Hospital and both remain in critical condition.A female rear-seat passenger, in her 20s, was taken to St Luke's General Hospital and is in a serious condition, said the spokesman. The third passenger, a child, has been taken to the Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin and is in a serious condition.The M9 from junction 3 to junction 4 northbound and southbound remains closed with local diversions in place. The head-on crash, which has killed several people, occurred near junction 3 on the M9 (pictured) in Co Kildare, Ireland, at around 3am on SaturdayA forensic collision examination will take place while police investigate the circumstances of the head-on crash.A gardaí spokesman said: 'A number of fatalities have occurred and no further details are available at this time.' Officers are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward.Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, has been notified of the incident. A spokesman for Fiosrú said: 'The referral was made following a fatal road traffic incident on the M9.'One of Fiosrú's on-call team of investigators attended the scene and its independent investigation is ongoing.'In line with its statutory remit, Fiosrú's investigation relates to incidents involving contact with gardaí where a member of the public has died or been seriously injured.'