Child 'as young as 18 months' involved in serious Kerry crash

Two people remain in a serious condition in hospital following a crash in Co Kerry yesterday.

Kerry General Hospital's Emergency Response Plan was activated after a mini bus and a car were in collision near Farranfore at around 5.30pm yesterday evening.

Fifteen people - 11 children and four adults - were injured.

Four helicopters were sent to remove casualties from the scene, as well as 10 ambulances and other rapid responders.

Six people were airlifted to Cork University Hospital while nine others were taken to Kerry General Hospital.

Radio Kerry's Fiona Stack says a child as young as 18 months was involved in the crash.

"Our understanding [is] that none of the casualties were originally from Kerry,

"There were four adults involved, 11 children - nine people in the minibus and six people in the SUV.

"There are reports that one of the families was a British family, but obviously that's not confirmed, and the ages of the children ranging from as young as 18 months up, and we understand that at least some of the people taken by airlift to Cork were children."

Cathal O'Donnell, medical director of the National Ambulance Service, said that some of the injuries are significant.

“A wide range of injuries, some minor thankfully – unfortunately, others more serious, and I suppose complicated by the fact that the majority of the patients were children with a wide range in age - some of them were quite seriously injured and had to be transferred up to Cork University Hospital for specialist assessment and treatment,” he said.

“But suffice it to say that certainly some of the patients involved had very significant injuries.”