Tributes have been paid to a Kurdish family who were killed in a three-vehicle crash in Galway on Thursday.

Gardai are continuing to investigate the cause of the collision on the M6 in which a fourth person – the driver of another car involved – also lost his life.

Three of the victims were from the same family – post-doctorate researcher Karzan Sabah Ahmed, his wife Shahen and their young child Lena.

The family were Kurdish and had been living in Galway.

A statement from the National University of Ireland Galway said: “NUI Galway extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of postdoc researcher Karzan Sabah Ahmed, his wife Shahen and their young child Lena.

“Our thoughts are with all those who knew Karzan and his family, here in Ireland and overseas.

“Karzan was a highly regarded researcher and in recent weeks he had submitted his PhD thesis and started postdoc research work, with all of the hopes and ambitions of a young academic charting a career path and life for himself and his young family.

“The community of NUI Galway is deeply saddened by such an untimely loss, in such tragic circumstances.

“Staff in the university chaplaincy are on hand to provide support to friends, colleagues and others who need it at this difficult time.”

Several people have been expressing sympathy at the deaths on the Facebook page of the Kurdish Irish Society.

A statement from the Kurdish Irish Society said: “”Our deepest sympathy to the families and relatives of Mr Karzan Sabah, a former Phd student in agriculture, his wife Shahen and child Lena.”