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Two people died when the car they were travelling in hit a wall and was “engulfed” in flames in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Their bodies were discovered in the burnt out car at Quinspool, Co Clare, close to the Clare/Limerick border.
The names of the dead have not yet been released.
There was widespread trauma in the Thomondgate area of Limerick where it is believed the two deceased are from.
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Two men aged in their 20s, who were discovered outside the vehicle, but who garda sources believe were travelling in the car, are being treated for serious burn and head injuries at St James Hospital, Dublin, and University Hospital Limerick.
Pat O’Halloran, who runs a takeaway in Thomondgate 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.
Earlier garda sources said they believed the bodies found at the scene were that of “a child and an adult”, however in an official statement gardaí said they were “not in a position to identify the deceased individuals” due to the extent of their burns.
On Thursday 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.”
Gardaí said the car, which was travelling between Limerick and Parteen, “hit a wall and was engulfed and destroyed by fire” around 12.30am.
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.
One of the injured men is believed to have made his way to a nearby house and the occupants then contacted emergency services.
Gardaí appealed for witnesses, “particularly any motorists who were travelling in the area between midnight and 1am who may have dashcam footage”.
DNA tests
Garda forensic team members spent the day analysing 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.
Gardaí said “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 would be able to formally identify the two bodies.
Another source described the scene which met emergency services as “horrific”.
“It appears the car was travelling 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 in agony. 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 gardaí.
“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.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Mayorstone Park Garda Station on 061 456 980 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.”