Five teenage males died and four others were seriously injured after a car driving the wrong way struck another vehicle on the M9 motorway at about 3:00am on Sunday, August 16, 2026. The bodies were taken to Naas General Hospital and post-mortems are planned. The incident has been referred to Fiosrú (the Police Ombudsman), which is conducting an independent investigation. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage from the M9 between 2:00am and 3:00am.
Five Teenagers Killed After Wrong-Way Head-On Crash On Ireland’s M9 Motorway
Emergency responders and people are the scene on the M9 road in Co Kildare, where a number of people have died and others have been seriously injured after a head-on collision between two cars. A Gardai spokesperson said the incident on Sunday morning at 3am occurred when one of the cars was travelling in the wrong direction. (is associated with: «Five teenagers dead in Irish motorway head-on collision») Niall Carson/PA Wire/dpa
Five teenage males have died and four other people were seriously injured after a head-on collision on the M9 motorway in County Kildare in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, 2026.
The crash happened at about 3:00am between junctions 3 and 4 when a car travelling southbound on the M9 northbound carriageway collided head-on with another vehicle. Emergency services and forensic collision investigators attended the scene; investigators have completed their on-scene examination and the road is expected to reopen shortly.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed the bodies of five teenage males—occupants of one vehicle—were recovered at the scene and taken to Naas General Hospital where post-mortem examinations will be carried out. The occupants of the second car—a male child and three women (two in their 30s and one in her 20s)—remain in hospital receiving treatment for serious injuries.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the collision as "horrific" and warned that wrong-way driving on motorways is an extremely dangerous behaviour, sometimes undertaken to attract social media attention. He said the incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, and that An Garda Síochána will fully co-operate with the independent investigation.
"My thoughts are with those injured in this morning's collision on the M9. These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway," Commissioner Kelly said.
Fiosrú confirmed it was notified, that an on-call investigator attended the scene, and that an independent investigation is ongoing. Fiosrú noted a referral does not automatically imply wrongdoing by any garda and that it must establish whether any act or omission by a member of An Garda Síochána contributed to death or serious injury. Under section 208(1)(b) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, Fiosrú cannot comment further while the investigation is active.
Family liaison officers have been appointed to support the relatives of occupants of both vehicles. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses and are specifically asking anyone who travelled on the M9 northbound or southbound between 2:00am and 3:00am on Sunday, August 16, 2026, to make any dashcam footage available to investigators.
The collision follows a separate wrong-way crash on the M50 the previous weekend in which nine people were injured. Gardaí and emergency services praised colleagues who responded to the M9 incident for their work at the scene.
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