James Cox
A five-year-old boy has died in a crash in Co Laois.
He was hit by a car in the Kilminchy area of Portlaoise at about 4.20pm this afternoon.
He was rushed to Portlaoise Regional Hospital, but pronounced dead a short time later.
The driver, a woman in her 40s, was not injured.
The road is currently closed and will remain closed overnight and a technical examination is due to be carried out by Garda forensic collision investigators tomorrow morning.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage from the area to come forward.
Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in Kilminchy, Portlaoise, Co Laois between 4pm and 5pm this afternoon are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardaí.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station on 057 867 4100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.