A court has heard that the first garda who arrived on the scene of the crash in which five Meath schoolgirls were killed described it as having "an air of unreality" with children walking around screaming and talking on their mobile phones.

The jury in a trial arising from an investigation into a school bus crash in which five schoolgirls were killed has been told that a company knew the vehicle's ABS system was defective but failed to repair it.

Two companies charged over the Navan bus crash which claimed the lives of five young schoolgirls will have to wait until next year to stand trial.

A vehicle maintenance company responsible for the upkeep of a school bus that overturned killing five schoolchildren knew its anti-lock braking system was not working, a court heard today.

The jury at the trial of the Navan bus crash which claimed the lives of five young schoolgirls has been released until tomorrow morning so Judge Thomas Teehan can hear legal arguments.

Three firms will stand trial today in relation to the Navan bus crash which claimed the lives of five young schoolgirls.

AS the families and friends of the five girls killed in last May’s tragic bus crash in Navan gathered to mark the first anniversary, the Bishop of Meath said the support of the local community had been invaluable.

ON today’s poignant anniversary of the tragedy in which five young girls lost their lives — when their school bus overturned in Co Navan — it is worrying to note that children continue to be at risk.

The local community has quietly supported the families of the Navan bus crash victims over the last year, the Bishop of Meath said tonight.

WORK is due to begin within days to fit all Bus Éireann school buses with seat belts and should be completed this summer.

FINE GAEL yesterday called for an independent road test of all public transport vehicles in the wake of the Navan school bus tragedy.

BUS ÉIREANN will face charges as a result of the fatal Navan bus crash which claimed the lives of five schoolgirls in Co Meath earlier this year.

Bus Éireann has deferred publication of an independent report it commissioned on the fatal Navan bus accident that claimed the lives of five young schoolgirls last May.

THE first report into last May’s tragic Co Meath bus crash, in which five young schoolgirls lost their lives, will not be published on the instruction of the Director of Public Prosecution.

SPECULATION mounted last night that the anti-lock braking system was switched off on a school bus when it crashed last May killing five girls.

The garda investigation into May’s bus crash near Navan, which killed five schoolgirls, is complete and has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, it emerged tonight.

Jim Morahan, Navan

BUS ÉIREANN and the gardaí have launched separate investigations into a fire that destroyed a school bus in Meath yesterday.

Leaving Certificate students in the town where the worst school bus crash in Irish history occurred last month sat a specially modified exam today.

THE driver of a bus that crashed in Navan, killing five schoolgirls, has told investigators the rear of the vehicle skidded as he braked approaching roadworks, according to reports.

Gardaí are waiting to gather further evidence before interviewing the bus driver at the centre of the worst school bus crash in Irish history, it emerged tonight.

MOURNERS attending the funerals of the victims of the Co Meath bus crash were told their deaths were not in vain if they prompted the country to think of the welfare of our children.

TWO young girls taken way before their time, two funeral Masses, two slow processions to the graveyard, one community.

A father tonight praised a heroic teenager who rescued his injured daughter from the worst schoolbus crash in Irish history.

Fitting seatbelts on all school buses by September is impossible, Education Minister Mary Hanafin said today.

Neighbours were today paying their respects at the family homes of the five young girls killed in the worst school vehicle crash in Irish history.

AT the church in the centre of Navan town, the young visitors had to wait their turn for a flame to die before they could find a space to stand their lighted candles.

THE houses of the families struck by Monday’s tragedy were easily recognisable in the small community around Navan.

TWO brothers who survived the worst school bus crash in Irish history yesterday spoke of their despair at the death of their cousin.

Flags at Loreto Convent flew at halfmast today as teachers attempted to console devastated pupils streaming into the school.

Gardaí were today preparing to interview the driver of a bus which was involved in the worst school vehicle crash in Irish history.

Gardaí have named the five teenage girls who died in yesterday's school bus tragedy near Navan in Co Meath.