LAST UPDATE | 6 Nov 2023

TWO TEENAGERS HAVE died following a single vehicle collision in Co Donegal overnight. 

The incident happened on the R238 at Terrawee, Gleneely at approximately 12.30am. 

Terrawee is in the northern part of Donegal in the Inishowen peninsula, 23km south of Malin Head. 

Two occupants of the car, a female and male aged in their late teens, were pronounced deceased at the scene. Their bodies have been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital. 

The third occupant of the car, a male aged in his late teens, has been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital to be treated for injuries believed to be non-life threatening. 

The R238 remains closed. Local diversions are in place. 

A technical examination by Forensic Collision Investigators will be conducted this morning. 

Speaking to The Journal this morning, Donegal County Councillor Jack Murray said the Inishowen community is “in mourning today, devastated by the loss of two young lives”. 

“As a community we’ve been hit by many tragedies over the years,” Murray said. 

“People will be extremely saddened when they hear the news this morning. My thoughts and prayers are with the family at this extremely difficult time.” 

There have been more road deaths so far in 2023 than in all of 2022, something Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has called a “matter of enormous concern”.

Speaking to reporters at the opening of N22 Baile Bhuirne-Macroom bypass in Co Cork, Varadkar said: “There’s no one thing that makes our roads safer. You have to do lots of different things.

“So, increasing enforcement is part of that, that is about additional gardaí, it is also about more GoSafe vans and they’ve been approved.

“It is also about improving our roads and making sure they’re well maintained – and also about education.”

Varadkar added that there has been “so much progress in the last couple of decades”.

“There was a time when 600, 700 people were dying on our roads and really disturbing to see that number that had come down, go back up again – and something I’ll be taking a personal interest in as Taoiseach.”

Gardaí in Buncrana are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them. 

Any road users who were travelling on the R238 in the early hours of this morning between midnight and 1am and has camera footage (including dash-cam), is asked to make this available to gardaí. 

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Buncrana Garda Station on 074 932 0540, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

-With additional reporting from Press Association