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DUBLIN – A race car went out of control on a rural Irish road and crashedinto a crowd of about 30 spectators Sunday, killing two people andseriously injuring seven, authorities said. Witnesses said the car crashed through a fence and into theonlookers before coming to rest on its side beside a home nearBailieborough, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Dublin. Police said two people — a 29-year-old woman from Cork,southwest Ireland, and a 50-year-old male photographer from thewestern city of Galway — were declared dead at the scene.Seven others, including the car's driver and navigationalco-driver, were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. Sunday's accident highlighted the dangers posed to drivers andviewers alike by Ireland's annual high-speed contests onhedge-lined, narrow country roads. At least four other people havebeen killed during races over the past decade as hundreds of miles(kilometers) of unmodified local roads are blocked off for use bysouped-up rally cars. Organizers of the Cavan Stages Rally involving about 100 cars inthe border county of Cavan canceled the event following theaccident. Police and the race organizer, Motorsports Ireland, bothlaunched investigations into what went wrong. Police Superintendent Gerry O'Brien said it was too early to saywhether a mechanical failure or driver error caused the accident.He said the car, a modified Ford Escort, "went over a hump in theroad, it went midair, and when it landed it appears it lost controland drove into spectators, a group of 30-odd people." One witness, Matthew McMahon, described the chaotic aftermath. "I heard people screaming 'Red flag, red flag, stop the stage!'Then all hell broke loose basically. There were people crying,people white as ghosts," he told Irish state radio RTE. Stage rallying is the most popular form of road racing in Ireland.About 30 competitions are staged annually on country roads, witheach racer taking their turn on the makeshift course. Spectatorsfrequently sit within a few yards (meters) of the roadway asdrivers, guided by co-drivers with maps in lap shouting out speedand turning guidance, roar past in hopes of scoring the best time. Among those killed since 2002, all in racing in the northwestcounty of Donegal, were two crowd stewards, a co-driver and an18-year-old fan struck as he tried to walk across the road. ___ Online: Motorsport Ireland guide to rally racing, bit.ly/JnO2Wa Footage of 2011 Cavan Stages Rally, bit.ly/Ls5lJI. I am an expert from refrigeratorreplacementpart.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Exhibition Fittings , Refrigerator Door Lock, Refrigerant Filter Drier,and more.
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