A number of people have died and others have been seriously injured in a crash involving a car driving in the wrong direction on a highway in Ireland, Irish police said.

Commissioner Justin Kelly described the head-on collision between two cars on the M9 as “horrific” and warned that “in some cases” cars are being driven on the wrong side of highways for social media likes.

Police said they are investigating the circumstances of the crash at junction 3 at about 3am on Sunday.

One of those seriously injured in the crash is a child.

Emergency services were alerted to a car travelling southbound on the M9 northbound carriageway.

The vehicle was travelling between junctions 3 and 4 when it collided head-on with another car.