Cork teen killed in sledging accident

A teenage girl has died in a sledging accident, while a mother and her 10-year-old son were killed in a fatal road crash, as icy conditions gripped the country tonight.

The girl, aged in her early teens, was fatally injured sliding down a hill on a golf course in Douglas, Cork in a tragedy which left three other teenagers in need of hospital treatment.

In a separate incident, a 35-year-old woman and her son died when a car being driven by her husband struck a wall in the border county of Louth.

The couple’s four-year-old daughter was injured, while an unrelated 11-year-old girl who was also in the car is in a critical condition.

The Cork tragedy is believed to have taken place after the four teenagers, two girls and two boys, were sliding down slopes at the Frankfield Golf Club.

It was said to have been around 2.30pm when the group lost control going downhill and struck a tree.

Garda officers are now investigating the circumstances and the area has been sealed off.

Officers are also investigating the car accident at Cangy, Dunleer, in Co Louth, which also happened at around 2.30pm.

Investigators said the woman, who was a front seat passenger, and her son, died as a result of the collision.

Her husband, believed to be in his 30s, was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, together with the two injured children.

The scene of the crash is closed pending an examination of the area by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.

It is unknown if weather conditions contributed to the car accident, but gardai said the vehicle struck a wall.

Freezing conditions and further snow storms are predicted across Ireland, north and south, with temperatures of -4c to -10c forecast.

Travelling has been difficult across large areas throughout the day.

The main airports in the Republic and the North reopened, but snowfalls that were among the worst in decades continued to cause problems.

Anyone planning to catch a flight was warned to contact their airline before leaving home.

There were warnings throughout the day that many roads remained icy, while in the previous 24 hours northern counties saw some of the heaviest levels of snow in 25 years.

Dublin Airport is fully operational, but a representative said: “There may be some delays to the flight schedule as a result of adverse weather conditions at other European airports.”

A spokeswoman for Belfast International Airport said it had reopened, though fresh snow hit the airport early today.

“We are expecting delays and cancellations throughout the day with Geneva, Liverpool and Faro flights cancelled so far,” they said.

“Severe weather across UK is also expected to cause delays so passengers should still continue to check with their airline as to the latest information on their flight.”

There are forecasts for freezing temperatures and further snowfalls.

Meanwhile, prison authorities in the North said they had been hit by the Arctic weather.

A spokesman confirmed visits to some jails had to be cancelled.