Man (19) and girl (17) killed in Co Tyrone road collision
Rebecca Black, PA
A man and a teenage girl have died in a road collision in County Tyrone.
The 19-year-old man and the 17-year-old girl died at the scene following the incident in the Doogary Road area of Omagh on Tuesday night.
Police have issued an appeal to anyone who witnessed the crash, which involved one vehicle, or has dashcam footage to speak to officers.
Inspector Cherith Adair said police received a report of a single vehicle road traffic collision at around 9.50pm involving a blue BMW car.
“Officers attended, alongside colleagues from Northern Ireland Ambulance Service,” she said.
“A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl sadly died at the scene.
“The Doogary Road, which was closed overnight, has now reopened.
“Our investigation is continuing, and we are appealing to anyone who was travelling in the area and has dashcam footage to contact the collision investigation unit on 101, and quote reference number 1806 of 30/04/24.”
Local political representatives expressed sadness at further deaths on the A5, and reiterated calls for the redevelopment of the road.
West Tyrone MP Orfhlaith Begley, of Sinn Fein, said: “The community is shocked and devastated to learn that another two young people have lost their lives on the A5 road.
“My immediate thoughts are with these young people’s families and friends as they come to terms with this unimaginable heartbreak today.
“More families have been left heartbroken by another fatal collision on this dangerous road, and today’s news serves as another sad reminder of the need to move forward and build the A5 with no more delays.”
SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said the A5 “cannot be allowed to claim any more lives” and added that “immediate action was needed to progress the road upgrade”.
“Since the return of Stormont we have already seen a number of deaths on the A5, this is happening on a regular basis and our community cannot continue to brave these losses,” he said.
“Every day people are leaving their homes to travel on this road, causing huge worry in their families who can’t be sure that they will come home.
“We need to progress on the A5 redevelopment, we cannot afford any more delays, people’s lives are literally at stake and no excuse can be justified.”