Two people are being treated in hospital following a serious road traffic collision in west Clare this evening.

The two-car crash occurred at around 4pm on the N67 Kilrush to Killimer road near the Moneypoint power station.

The two vehicles crashed almost head-on on a bend in the road not far from the village of Killimer.

The female driver of one car was left trapped in her vehicle for almost an hour.

Two units of the fire brigade from Kilrush were first to respond to the incident while Garda patrol cars from Kilrush and Ennis also rushed to the scene.

Three ambulances and a rapid response advanced paramedic unit were sent from Ennis.

There was no ambulance available in the west Clare area at the time.

Fire crews used specialist cutting equipment to extricate the female driver from one car. The man in the second vehicle did not need to be cut free.

Both casualties were assessed at the scene by National Ambulance Service paramedics and a doctor before they were removed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.

The man is understood to have sustained only minor injuries while the female driver is in a more serious condition.

Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening however.

Gardaí at Kilrush are investigating the cause of the incident.