Four people, all aged between 17 and 20, were killed and a fifth person injured in a road accident on the outskirts of Belfast today.
The PSNI said the four died when the vehicle in which they were travelling left the road and hit a tree on the Ballyhill Road close to the junction with the Greenhill Road near Ligonielat around lunchtime.
A fifth person is being treated in hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life threatening. A PSNI spokesman described the accident as one of the worst single vehicle crashes the force had had to deal with.
The four victims have not yet been named but they are understood to all come from the greater Lisburn area of the city.
Police say they have not yet established the cause of the accident, but say the road was wet at the time of the crash.
It later emerged that the four young men, who have not yet been named, were all students of Lisburn College of Further and Higher Education.
The MP for the area, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, said he had spoken to the director of the college, who said staff and students were devastated by the tragedy.
"These four lads were just out for a drive and for this to happen and their lives to be taken so tragically and cruelly in this way must be devastating for their family.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with these families tonight," he added.