Two young men have died following a crash between a car and lorry in Co Donegal.
The teenagers killed in the road traffic collision in St Johnston on Tuesday night have been named locally as Daniel Cullen and Caoimhin Porter.
Both were 18 and from the Shantallow area of Derry. They died after the car in which they were travelling collided with a lorry.
A third man, the 18-year-old driver of the car, suffered serious injuries and was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
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The three were returning to Derry from Asda in Strabane when the crash occurred on the R236 road at about 11.15pm. Their Vauxhall Corsa collided with a lorry towing a cattle trailer on the main Lifford-Derry road.
Local curate Fr Damien Nejad attended the scene at about 1am and administered the last rites to one of the young men at the scene.
“It was very, very sad,” Fr Nejad said. “I said a prayer over the body of a young man. There is just shock in the area.”
One of the young men was pronounced deceased at the scene, while the other died a short time later at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.
Derry-based cleric Fr Michael Canny met with the bereaved families on Wednesday.
“Their family and their friends are in total shock,” he said. “This is a close-knit community that sticks together, but nevertheless their lives are now going to be changed forever. We also pray for the young man in hospital.”
“Our thoughts and the thoughts of most of the people in the city are with the families who are totally devastated to have received this news last night.”
The Shantallow Community Centre opened its youth wing to offer support on Wednesday. Grief counsellors were also on site for assistance.
The collision occurred close to the Presbyterian Church and the manse house, at a known blackspot.
Local Presbyterian minister Rev Craig Wilson said: “It’s terrible. We have families devastated and the loss of two teenage lives is desperate. We heard the sirens going on Tuesday night.”
The road was closed for a technical examination by Garda forensic collision investigators, who arrived at about 10.30am on Wednesday. Local diversions were put in place.
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said the incident was a “profound tragedy”. He said: “Today and the days ahead will be unimaginably difficult. But I know that people in Derry and Donegal will offer them every possible support to get through this.”
Donegal coroner Dr Denis McCauley was notified and postmortem examinations will take place in due course.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward.
Road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam footage, and were travelling in the area at 10.45pm-11.45pm on Tuesday night are asked to contact gardaí.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station on 074 9167100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
There have been 39 road fatalities so far this year, including 18 in January and 21 in February.
Since Saturday there have been 11 road deaths, including the two in Donegal on Tuesday.
A 16-year-old, Mia Lily Keogh O’Keeffe, died in a hit-and-run in Co Meath.
A couple in their 40s, Brian and Grace Frisby, died in a two-car crash in Tramore, Co Waterford.
Three people died in a crash on the Moy Road, Co Tyrone, and a woman in her 80s was killed in a single-vehicle crash at Eyrecourt, Co Galway.
A motorcyclist in his 50s died in a road traffic collision in Co Sligo.
A man aged 36 died following a two-vehicle crash in Co Tyrone.
