Two teenage girls have died and three other people were injured in a road crash in Co Monaghan.
The incident happened on the N54 at Legnakelly near Clones, at around 6.45pm yesterday.
The girls, who were aged 16 and 17, were passengers in the car.
Their bodies were removed to Monaghan General Hospital, where post-mortem examinations are expected to be carried out.
An 18-year-old girl is in a critical condition and receiving treatment at Cavan General Hospital.
A boy, also aged 18, is also receiving treatment in Cavan General Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
A 60-year-old man, who was driving the car, is in a critical condition and is being treated at Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.
All five people are understood to have been travelling in the same vehicle.
It is understood that some of those in the car were on their way to a Debs event for a local school at the time of the incident.
Emergency services and two units from the fire service attended the scene on the Clones to Smithborough road.
The N54 was closed while Garda Forensic Collision Investigators conducted a technical examination of the scene. The road is still closed, with local diversions in place.
Gardaí in Monaghan are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them.
In a post on social media last night, Minister Heather Humphreys, a TD for the Cavan-Monaghan constituency, said that this was "heartbreaking news for our local community in the Clones area".
"Every family's worst nightmare. My thoughts and prayers are with all those involved," he said.
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said the news from Clones was "horrendous" and "heart-wrenching".
"A moment of joy and celebration for these young people has been turned into a lifetime of devastation for those who loved them," he said.
"God help the families affected. The prayers of everyone in Co Monaghan is with them."
