A young woman has died after a hit and run incident in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, on Saturday.
The woman, who is in her 20s, is understood to be a mother from the town.
It is understood that the woman was behind a set of gates at the entrance to a private yard when a silver Ford Transit van allegedly struck the gates, seriously injuring her.
Gardaí were searching for the driver and the vehicle after the van failed to remain at the scene.
The woman was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick where she was in a “critical condition”, gardaí said earlier on Saturday. She was later pronounced dead.
The scene of the incident was cordoned off as an investigation commenced.
A spokesman said An Garda Síochána confirmed responded “at the scene of a serious incident involving a vehicle that occurred at the entrance of a private property in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, at approximately 12.15pm this afternoon”.
“Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dashcam) and were in the area between 11.30am and 1pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardaí,” he said.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Rathkeale Garda station on 069 63222, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
Local Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey said the town was in “shock” and that the local community was praying for the injured woman.
“There is a profound sad numbness in the area, and our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman and her family,” Cllr Teskey said.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis