An elderly woman was killed in a road traffic pile-up on the N17 in County Galway this (Wednesday) evening.

Gardaí are investigating the crash which occurred at 4.45pm and involved four cars.

The incident occurred at what’s known locally as Cloonmore near the Headford Road junction three miles from Tuam on the Galway side.

The woman who was fatally injured is believed to be in her 60s or 70s, according to Gardaí. She has not yet been named.

At least three ambulances and two Fire Brigades attended the scene. Gardaí said a number of others suffered minor injuries in the collision.

The road at the scene was closed for several hours to facilitate a forensic collision examination of the area.

The collision caused long tailbacks along the N17. Traffic was diverted out the Athenry Road out of Tuam via Corofin.