Four young people, including a brother and sister, have been killed following a tragic road crash in Clonmel, County Tipperary on Friday night.
One man in his early 20s, who was driving the car, and three women in their teens were killed in the incident on Mountain Road in Clonmel shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
All four victims are believed to be from the local area. Two of the victims were brother and sister.
It is understood that the three women had received their Leaving Certificate results earlier on Friday and were on their way to meet friends to celebrate when the tragedy took place.
The car was reportedly traveling downhill when it went out of control and overturned. No other vehicle was involved.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described the tragedy as heartbreaking, adding that the "whole nation" mourns for the four victims.
Varadkar said Leaving Cert results night is a "milestone on the road from childhood to adulthood" and added that it should mark the "beginning of a world of opportunities for young people".
"For young lives, so full of possibility, to be cut short in this way is truly devastating and heartbreaking. The whole nation mourns them," Varadkar said in a statement on Saturday.
"My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died and the wider community in Clonmel and Tipperary. The thoughts of the whole country are with them, their school and their community."
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said there was "grief, shock, and sadness" in Ireland following Friday night's tragic crash.
"Leaving Cert results day represents achievement, celebration and excitement," Harris said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Tonight that has been replaced by grief, shock and sadness... There are no words. Heartbreaking."
RTÉ reports that the young women attended two local secondary schools, while the man was a past pupil of another secondary school in the area.
Their schools held meetings on Saturday morning and have put critical incident management plans in place.
The schools will be offering support to the victims' families, friends, and classmates in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Mountain Road remained closed on Saturday as gardaí carried out forensic investigations.
The victims' bodies have been removed to Tipperary University Hospital, with post-mortem examinations set to take place in the coming days.
An incident room has been established at Clonmel Garda Station and a senior investigating officer is leading investigations into the crash.
Gardaí have urged people not to share images of the aftermath of the crash on social media after images reportedly surfaced online. They said they were also aware of the presence of a private drone over the scene.
They are appealing to the public not to share any images of the aftermath out of respect for the privacy of the victims' families.