Children die in holiday crash

Emergency services attended the scene of the accident

Two children from Northern Ireland have been killed in a road accident during a family holiday in Sweden.

An eight-year-old boy and his three-year-old sister died in the accident which happened south of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on Wednesday.

The children's mother, two sisters and brother were also injured after their people-carrier was in collision with a truck as they travelled towards the town of Osmo at about 1300 CET.

The little boy died at the scene and his sister, the youngest of the five children, died later in hospital.

Stable condition

The family involved are understood to be from North Down and now live in Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden.

The father has been named as Niall Francis who is on an Inland Revenue exchange programme.

The crash happened on a notoriously dangerous stretch of road.

It is understood one of the tyres on the truck exploded, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

According to police, a witness said the blow-out also shattered the windscreen of a passing car.

Reporter Yohan Bergkrist who was at the scene said: "The left front tyre blew and the truck came over on the wrong side of the road, and crashed into this family van on this side.

"It was a fierce crash, really bad. The woman on the passenger side got stuck, both cars ended up at the side of the road.

"All the windows were broken."

The dead children's two sisters and brother are being treated in hospital in Stockholm. The eldest child, a boy of 11, is said to be seriously injured.

Mrs Francis is badly injured but in a stable condition.

Their father is said to be unharmed but the truck driver was also injured in the crash.