The driver of a car in which two teenage boys died in a Co Antrim coastal village yesterday was arrested in hospital by police and then released on bail.
Police are trying to determine how the accident happened early yesterday in Carnlough and are anxious to speak to the occupants of a black Peugeot 205 seen in the village at the time of the crash.
The Ford Escort Cosworth, a high-performance version of the Escort, in which the 15- and 16-year-old boys were back-seat passengers crashed into a wall at Marine Road around 1 a.m.
The victims were Gavin O'Neill (16), from Gortin Road, Carnlough, a pupil at St Comgall's College in Larne, and David McAuley (15), from Seacourt Road, Larne, a pupil at Larne High School.
The 32-year-old driver and a 17-year-old front-seat passenger were injured in the crash. The driver was interviewed in hospital, where he and the injured teen were treated. He was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving but released on bail. Fire officers were at the scene of the wreckage in minutes. One boy was dead at that stage. The second teenager died as the fire officers were trying to free him.
Fire officer Mr Gabriel McAuley said the town was numbed by the accident. He lived only 100 yards from the scene, which he described as one of "total carnage". He said local people assisted in the rescue attempt. "This was an awful tragedy for the town," he added.
"Carnlough is a very close-knit community. Everybody did what they could once they learned of the accident. This loss is felt very deeply because these kids lived among us. At this time, I know that the fire officers in this area want to extend their deepest sympathy to the families."
Despite police road-safety campaigns, the number of deaths on roads in Northern Ireland is rising. The teenagers' deaths bring the number of road fatalities in Northern Ireland this year to 106, which compares with 88 deaths at the same time last year.
