Man killed in level crossing crash

A man in his sixties has died after his car was hit by a train in Co Galway.

The Dublin to Galway express hit a vehicle at a level crossing near Oranmore five miles from Galway City.

The dead man is believed to have been a teaching priest in Gort.

The fatal accident happened just before 2pm.

It is thought that the man was attempting to reverse his car from the track after he failed to beat the descending barriers at the level crossing.

The man died instantly when he was struck by the oncoming train.

Neither the passengers nor the driver of the train were injured.

Iarnród Éireann are to carry out a full investigation of the incident.

A spokesperson has said there was nothing to suggest there was a problem with the barrier, but added that the sequence of events leading to the accident had not yet been clearly established.