GARDAI are investigating after two people died yesterday, when the car they were travelling in, hit a wall and was “engulfed” in a fire.
The bodies were discovered in a burnt-out car, at Quinspool, Co Clare, in the early hours of Thursday.
Earlier garda sources said they believed the bodies were that of “a child and an adult”, however, in an official statement Gardai said they were “not in a position to identify the deceased individuals” due to the extent of their burns.
Last night, a senior garda said: “We have names of people but no post mortem done. Unfortunately this is out of our hands. The post mortem will take place in the morning. Until we get the ball rolling on DNA etc it’s very difficult to say.”
There was widespread trauma in the Thomondgate area where it is believed the two deceased are from.
The deceased had been named locally by serval sources, however, it emerged late last night that the identities of the deceased was not clear.
One local man had paid tribute to the two deceased.
Two men aged in their 20s, who were discovered outside the vehicle, but who Garda sources believe were travelling in the car, were being treated for serious burn and head injuries at St James Hospital and University Hospital Limerick.
Pat O’Halloran, who runs a takeaway in Thomondgate in Limerick, confirmed his cousin Adam Carver was one of those seriously injured.
“Adam is a UK national but his grandparents live here in Limerick. He only came over to visit the family in the last few weeks,” he said.
“This is a dark day for the entire community. We wish to offer our condolences to all the families involved,” he added.
Gardai said the car, which was travelling between Limerick and Parteen, “hit a wall and was engulfed and destroyed by fire” around 12.30am Thursday morning.
The scene of the collision is located on the outskirts of Limerick.
When emergency first responders arrived at the crash site they discovered two men in their 20s outside the car and seriously injured.
However, after the fire was extinguished the vehicle’s burnt-out shell revealed two bodies inside.
The bodies remained inside the car at the scene for serval hours before being transported by hearse to University Hospital Limerick for post mortem examinations.
The two autopsies are expected to take place Friday morning, gardai said.
One of the injured men is believed to have made his way to a nearby house and raised the occupants and they then contacted emergency services.
The car was discovered upright and halfway off a grass verge in a cul de sac which serves a small number of homes.
Sources said it appeared the car had become “airborne” during the incident.
Gardai appealed for witnesses, “particularly any motorists who were traveling in the area between 12am-1am who may have Dashcam footage”.
A source said one of the injured men was found by emergency services having sustained “burns” and a “serious head injury”.
The car was completely gutted in the fire, and a garda forensic team spent the day analyzing the vehicle and the surrounding area.
A garda source said they hoped the results of the garda forensic examinations would provide them with “more definite answers” as to exactly what happened.
“The forensic officers will examine the entire scene and analyze any strike marks to try to figure out the sequence of events that led to the collision,” they added.
Gardai said that “a family liaison officer has been appointed and an incident room has been set up at Mayorstone Garda Station”.
A senior garda said they would await the results of DNA tests and dental records before they were able to formally identify the two bodies.
Another source described the scene which met emergency services as “horrific”.
“It appears the car was traveling from the (Limerick) direction towards Parteen when it lost control and burst into flames. When emergency services got there, they found one man on the ground. A second man had gone to a house for help but he was suffering with a serious head injury also,” they added
“It appears the car hit a crash barrier and became airborne before coming to a stop. There were two trapped in the vehicle, and two outside the vehicle.”
Local Fine Gael councillor Olivia O’Sullivan appealed for anyone with information to contact gardai.
“It’s tragic, our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved. I can’t imagine how they must be feeling. Everyone in the community is stunned,” she added.
A garda spokesman said: “Anyone with information is asked to contact Mayorstone Park Garda Station on 061 456 980 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.”
