Funerals of road crash victims

The accident happened on Sunday

The funerals of the two teenage girls killed in a road accident at the weekend have taken place.

Catherine Graham, 14, died alongside her friend Christina Maguire, 15, in the accident at Toomebridge in County Antrim.

The fatalities bring to 18 the number of people killed on Northern Ireland's roads for the first 27 days of 2003.

The driver of a van, in which the two girls was travelling, was too young to hold a licence.

Catherine Graham: 14-year-old died in crash

The girls died when the van struck a gatepost and then collided with a tree on the Carlane Road near Toomebridge on Sunday.

Two teenage boys, who were also in the van are described as being in a stable condition in hospital.

A third teenage girl suffered minor injuries.

Witnesses

Catherine Graham's father, Patrick, said he was going through so many different emotions and it would take time to get to grips with what had happened.

SDLP councillor Seamus Laverty, who knows the families of both victims, said the whole area was in deep shock.

The police have appealed for witnesses to the crash to contact them.

Catherine's funeral took place at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Christina was buried following Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Cargin.