LAST UPDATE | 21 Jul 2019

A MAN HAS been seriously injured after a car drove into a crowd of people at a cemetery in Co Louth.

Emergency services attended the scene of the incident in St Patrick’s Cemetery in Dowdallshill in Dundalk, where a number of people were injured during the incident at around 4pm today.

Investigators say a dark-coloured car drove at a number of people in the cemetery, where an annual ‘blessing of the graves’ event was taking place.

The vehicle is then reported to have driven out of the cemetery onto the public road, before it collided with a number of parked cars and came to a stop.

A man was seriously injured and taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, while a number of other people also received minor injuries.

A man in his late 20s, believed to the, driver was arrested at the scene.

He is currently being detained at Dundalk Garda Station under provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to the incident to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station, and are particularly appealing for anyone with video footage to come forward.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Ruairí Ó Murchú said that the person driving the vehicle should bear full responsibility for their actions.

“People are very angry that anyone would show such disregard for people’s safety. It is absolutely appalling and unjustifiable behaviour,” he said.

“I would like to offer my solidarity to all those who were attending the Blessing of the Graves ceremony, particularly those injured in this incident.”