Teenage girl (18) dies after car enters river in Co Tipperary

Sarah Slater

A female adult teenager has died after the car she was driving hit a wall and entered a river in a freak accident in Co Tipperary on Thursday night.

The incident happened between 10pm and midnight in the townland of Kilmoyler, Co Tipperary. The 18-year-old was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

Gardaí, along with their sub-aqua team and Tipperary Fire and Rescue, were alerted after the Leaving Cert student failed to return to her home in Clonmel.

It is understood the car hit a low wall and flipped upside down into the swollen water of the Aherlow river.

Her Ford Fiesta car was discovered in the Aherlow river. In valiant efforts to find the girl, the sub aqua team located the 18-year-old and her body was recovered from the river at around 5am.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her body was taken to Tipperary University Hospital (TUH), where a post-mortem will be carried out in due course.

The alarm was raised by the teenager’s family when she failed to return home from meeting up with friends.

The L3101 road is currently closed, and local diversions are in place to allow for a technical examination by gardaí.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses close to the area, who were travelling on the L3101 or in the Kilmoyler area between 10pm and midnight last night, to contact them at Cahir Garda Station on 052-7445630.