Gardaí have appealed for witnesses after man in his 20s died in a single vehicle crash on the outskirts of Cork city in the early hours of Sunday.

The man (23) was fatally injured when his car hit a ditch on the Glenville Road near Ballinahina.

A passing motorist contacted the emergency services at around 5.30am after coming across the crash but the man, who was the only occupant of the car, died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics.

The man’s body was due to be taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) on Sunday for a postmortem. His identity has been withheld pending the notification of his relatives but he is from the general area.

The scene of the crash was closed off on Sunday to allow for an examination of the site by Garda collision investigators. A file on the incident is being prepared for the Cork City Coroner.

Gardaí said that driving conditions were difficult in places overnight with freezing temperatures leading to black ice on some roads around Cork.

Anyone who witnessed the accident or who may have seen the vehicle involved in the time before the crash is asked to contact Mayfield Garda station on (021) 4558510.

The death brings to 14 the number of people killed in road traffic collisions on roads in Co Cork so far this year.