Four young women, all of them college students, have been killed in a horrific car accident in County Kildare.
Three other people were seriously injured in the crash, which happened near the town of Athy just before 10pm last night.
The four dead girls, all aged between 19 and 20, were passengers in a car that collided with a van near Junction 3 on the M9. The female driver of the vehicle and two men traveling in the van were seriously injured and had to be rushed to Naas General Hospital.
The road is expected to remain closed for much of today to facilitate a technical examination.