GARDAÍ WERE last night still trying to confirm the identities of three men killed in a late-night crash, two days after the collision happened.
It is believed the victims of the crash, which occurred about two miles from the town of Cashel in south Tipperary on Friday night, were Romanian and aged in their 20s. Reports locally suggested gardaí had found a passport belonging to one of the men, but were considering fingerprinting the victims to verify their identities.
However, no family members had come forward by last night to suggest they were related to any of the victims and gardaí have enlisted the help of the Romanian embassy to alert possible relatives.
“We’re satisfied that they are Romanian, but we haven’t spoken to any families yet,” a Garda spokesperson said.
The bodies of the three men, who were travelling south along the old N8 Dublin-Cork road when the crash happened at about 10.50pm on Friday, remained at the scene for more than 12 hours.
The car in which they were travelling was badly damaged when it collided with a truck travelling north and ended up buried underneath. A crane had to be deployed on Saturday to separate the two vehicles and allow removal of the three bodies to Waterford Regional Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
The driver of the truck, from Templemore, Co Tipperary, received minor injuries and was treated at South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel before being discharged on Saturday. Gardaí said he was “traumatised” by what had happened.
It is understood he told investigators the Volkswagen Passat containing the three victims went on to the incorrect side of the road just before the collision.
Gardaí are trying to establish if icy road conditions played a part in the incident, which happened when temperatures were as low as -6 degrees in the Cashel area. There was also speculation locally that the driver of the blue Passat, registration 99 D 89487, may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Gardaí have renewed an appeal for information on the crash and for help in identifying the victims.
They described them as of slim to medium build, dark-haired “and possibly of Romanian or eastern European ethnicity”.
Gardaí are particularly keen to talk to members of the Romanian community living in Ireland. Anyone who can help is asked to phone Cashel Garda station on 062-75840, or the Garda confidential line on 1800-600111.