Gardai believe a woman in her 20s may be able to help them establish the cause of a traffic accident in Cork yesterday in which two gardai died.
Chief Supt Adrian Culligan said the young woman, who was dressed in black, came upon the scene of the accident at the North Ring Road near Ballyvolane, Cork, at 5 a.m. yesterday and may have witnessed it.
Having given what help she could to the two gardai, she left the scene as the emergency services arrived. Supt Martin Shanahan, who is leading the investigation, said he hoped the woman would contact them.
The accident happened when the two gardai, in a marked patrol car, were responding to a call for assistance from gardai in the Blarney area.
At the North Ring Road their car collided with a hackney cab. The two gardai are thought to have died at the scene.
The driver of the hackney and a passenger were taken to the Cork University Hospital, where their condition was said last night to be not life-threatening.
The two men who died were Garda George Rice (45) of Blarney, Co Cork, and Garda Seamus McIntyre (25), of Ballincollig, Co Cork. Garda McIntyre was engaged to Garda Claire Corcoran, of Anglesea Garda station, Cork.
Garda Corcoran was on duty when news of the accident was relayed to the station. She was also one of the first officers at the crash scene.
Garda Rice, who was a native of Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, was stationed at Mallow Road and had been in the force for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Eilis, and their three children, Laura (14), Elaine (12), and Kieran (8).
Garda McIntryre, originally from Kenmare, Co Kerry, had been a member of the Garda for four years. A keen sportsman, he played senior hurling and minor football with Kerry and was a member of the Ballincollig GAA club. His father, Garda P.J. Mc Intyre, was on foot-and-mouth security duty at the Border when he heard of his son's death.
It is understood that Garda Rice and Garda McIntyre were driving from the city on the North Ring Road, which links with Blarney, when the accident happened. Garda McIntyre was driving the patrol car, which was answering a routine call. There was no question of hot pursuit, Garda sources said. News of the accident was met with shock by colleagues of the two men.
Chief Supt Culligan said it was "a sad day for all of us in Cork", and expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and the families of the hackney driver and his passenger.
"At this stage, we do not know exactly how the accident occurred. We are appealing for witnesses, even though it happened at such an early hour and we are especially appealing to the young lady who gave help at the scene and who may have been a witness to the crash, to come forward." Yesterday the patrol car and hackney cab were being examined by Garda forensic experts.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, has extended sympathy to the families of the two men.