Two men killed in road accident

The mangled remains of the young men's car

Two men have died and another has been injured in a road accident near Dungiven, County Londonderry.

Cathal O'Kane, 21, from Claudy and Mark Anthony Bonner, 27, from Dungiven, died in the crash on the Ballyquin Road.

Mr O'Kane's twin brother, Christopher, is said to be seriously ill but stable in Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.

The car the men were travelling in hit a tree, left the road at a bend and ended up in a field at about 0230 GMT on Sunday.

The friends were coming home from a night out at a Limavady hotel when the accident happened on stretch of road which is a renowned accident blackspot.

Having this bad news delivered to your door is terrible Ivan Goldsworthy PSNI

Councillor Anne Brolly of Sinn Fein said the men were her neighbours.

"We woke up this morning to this awful tragedy," she said.

"To realise that we have had two people killed and another very seriously injured, young people coming from Limavady, is just devastating to the community.

"We have had so many accidents on this road, and we have been in touch with the powers that be to see can anything be done."

Inspector Ivan Goldsworthy said it was a very difficult scene for the emergency services.

"Having this bad news delivered to your door is terrible," he added.

He also appealed to people who had stopped to help at the scene of the accident, and had not yet contacted the police, to get in touch.

The road has now been re-opened.