A woman and two girls have died following a road traffic collision involving a lorry and a car on the N17 in Co Mayo.
The woman, who was the driver of the car, and two girls who were passengers, were killed in the crash.
The incident happened on the main route between Galway and Sligo shortly before 2pm. No other injuries were reported.
Emergency services have been attending the scene on the N17 in Castlegar, a short distance from Claremorris.
The bodies of the woman and two children were removed to Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar, where post-mortem examinations will be carried out.
Diversions are in place around Castlegar and gardaí are redirecting traffic off the N17, in both directions.
The road is expected to remain closed for a number of hours to allow for a technical examination of the crash site.
Gardaí have appealed for any witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward and have also asked that images of the crash are not shared online out of respect for the family.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Claremorris Garda Station on 094 9372080, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
'A horrifically black day for Co. Mayo'
Mayo County Council Cathaoirleach Michael Loftus has the deaths of five people makes today one of the darkest days ever seen in the county.
Mr Loftus said it had been "a horrifically black day for Co. Mayo", after the separate tragedies in Swinford and Claremorris.
Cllr Loftus said the hearts of people in the region went out to the bereaved families.
He said this afternoon's fatal road crash on the N17 in Claremorris brought to mind another tragedy on the same route in 2017, when three generations of the one family were killed in a collision.
67-year-old Mary Ann Wilson, her 39-year-old daughter, Majella, and her six-year-old son, Sean, died when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck on the N17 outside Claremorris on 11 September, 2017.
