Four of the five people killed in two recent car crashes in Co Donegal were not wearing seatbelts.

The two crashes, which happened within just a few short miles of each other, claimed the lives of five young people – all aged between 19 and 28.

Thursday’s crash between two cars containing two sets of friends, happened just 20 hours after two young men were killed on the dual carriageway on the outskirts of Letterkenny at 4.45am on Wednesday morning.

The names of Dermot Boyle (19) and Barney McGinley (28) had just been made public when word of the crash began to filter through.

The three friends – named locally as Steven McGrath, (19), Theresa Robinson, 20, and Kaylem Ó Murachaidh – were killed when the two cars crashed on a back road between Letterkenny and Drumkeen at Trentaboy at 1am on Thursday.

Mr McGrath was a well-known young sportsman who played underage hurling for Donegal. Ms Robinson was a 20-year-old mother of two who was due to celebrate her 21st birthday on Saturday.

Mr Ó Murachaidh, was originally from Dundalk, but lived in Cloghan, Co Donegal.

A Garda source confirmed at least four of the five killed in the two crashes were not wearing safety belts.

The scene was discovered by a passing motorist.

Serious condition

Another passenger in one of the cars was taken from the scene by the emergency services and is in a serious condition at Letterkenny University Hospital.

The crash, which was close to Coravaddy Woods, a popular walking spot, was the second fatal car accident in the area within 24 hours.

Friends Barney McGinley and Dermot Boyle perished the previous morning when the car in which they were travelling struck a van on the dual carriageway outside Letterkenny.

Gardaí are still trying to determine why the men were driving on the wrong side of the road when they struck the Renault van at 4.45am.

An investigation is also trying to determine if a robbery at Rosie’s Bar in Drumkeen a short time earlier was connected.

The Garda Ombudsman has confirmed they are investigating Garda “interaction” with the car in which the two men died.

However, it is not believed that gardaí were involved in a pursuit with the men’s grey Mitsubishi Charisma car, but merely did a U-turn after passing them to respond to another call.

Apparently, the men panicked and ended up on the wrong side of the dual carriageway being colliding head-on with the driver of the Renault van.

That driver is still in hospital having suffered a series of injuries.