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| Policemen killed 'on way to help' | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Four policemen have been killed in a road crash while answering a call for help from colleagues in County Down. | Four policemen have been killed in a road crash while answering a call for help from colleagues in County Down. |
| They were driving towards Rostrevor on the coast road outside Warrenpoint when the accident happened at about 0400 GMT. | They were driving towards Rostrevor on the coast road outside Warrenpoint when the accident happened at about 0400 GMT. |
| All four were from south Down. The men were aged between their mid-20s and late 30s and it is understood two of them had young children. | All four were from south Down. The men were aged between their mid-20s and late 30s and it is understood two of them had young children. |
| The police said they were treating the deaths as a tragic accident. | The police said they were treating the deaths as a tragic accident. |
| The police vehicle is taken away from the scene of the fatal accident | |
| Assistant Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said an investigation into the crash had started. | Assistant Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said an investigation into the crash had started. |
| "The vehicle collided with a wall at a small bridge and caught fire," she said. | "The vehicle collided with a wall at a small bridge and caught fire," she said. |
| ACC Gillespie said the vehicle had, like most other police vehicles, been fitted with a 'black box' device, "which will record all the details of the incident at the time". | ACC Gillespie said the vehicle had, like most other police vehicles, been fitted with a 'black box' device, "which will record all the details of the incident at the time". |
| She said it was too early to say whether the dark and wet conditions were a factor in the crash. | She said it was too early to say whether the dark and wet conditions were a factor in the crash. |
| Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde visited the scene of the tragedy on Sunday morning. | Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde visited the scene of the tragedy on Sunday morning. |
| He said he was "shocked" at what he had seen, and at the loss suffered by both the families of the men and the PSNI. | He said he was "shocked" at what he had seen, and at the loss suffered by both the families of the men and the PSNI. |
| DUP assembly member Jim Wells said: "There won't be a single family in south Down who won't know one of those killed. | DUP assembly member Jim Wells said: "There won't be a single family in south Down who won't know one of those killed. |
| "They were family men and it's going to be an extraordinarily difficult few weeks leading up to Christmas as people come to terms with what has been a truly dreadful event." | "They were family men and it's going to be an extraordinarily difficult few weeks leading up to Christmas as people come to terms with what has been a truly dreadful event." |
| Mayor of Newry and Mourne, Colman Burns, said the news "had caused great shock and despair throughout the community". | Mayor of Newry and Mourne, Colman Burns, said the news "had caused great shock and despair throughout the community". |
| The road is expected to remain closed for several hours. | The road is expected to remain closed for several hours. |