Couple and young child killed in Co Waterford housefire

A couple and one of their four young children have died following a fire at a house in Co Waterford this morning.

The fire broke out just before 1am at a family home on Ardmore Terrace in Ballybeg.

A mother, a father and their 18-month-old daughter died in the blaze, while their three other children – all aged under 10 - escaped from the house and are currently receiving treatment in hospital.

The scene has been sealed off for technical examination to determine the cause of the fire, while post mortems will also be carried out on the victims' bodies later today.

Local councillor Tom Murphy said this morning that the entire community was in shock after learning of the tragedy.