Five dead in Buncrana accident

manutd

[font=Arial, sans-serif]Confirmed 5 died - [/font][font=Roboto, sans-serif]http://donegalnews.com/2016/03/five-dead-in-donegal-tragedy/[/font]

[font=Roboto, sans-serif]"FIVE people have died in a tragic accident in Buncrana this evening.
The five, 2 adult males, one adult female and two small boys, lost their lives when the car they were in entered the water at the slipway in Buncrana.
A sixth occupant of the car, believed to be an two-month old infant, survived and has been taken to hospital."[/font]

Stheno

God love their families tragic for them

Menas

Jesus. Sounds bad.

gumbo1

That's horrendous! Condolences to their extended family and friends. I really hope that it was just a tragic accident and not malicious!

Sound Bite

Buncrana has had more than its fair share of tragedy. Horrible loss of life.

John_Rambo

Menas wrote: »

Jesus. Sounds bad.

Warm winter, rotten algae and seaweed. They can be as slippy as ice and presumably the slipway is a steep gradient. Tragic news.

Edit - I see you edited your post. I answered your query about how it could have happened.

Sh1tbag OToole

Very strange, the slipway isn't beside a main road or anything, not something you'd drive off so easily by accident

Stheno

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Very strange, the slipway isn't beside a main road or anything, not something you'd drive off so easily by accident

Tragic is a euphemism used by the press

Atlantic Dawn

This looks like the area...
https://www.google.ie/maps/@55.1265766,-7.4643427,3a,75y,359h,82.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYQ5yel3cCA6NCxZG56iA2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Stheno

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

This looks like the area...
https://www.google.ie/maps/@55.1265766,-7.4643427,3a,75y,359h,82.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYQ5yel3cCA6NCxZG56iA2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The indo have commentary from a local saying it's a dangerous pathway

Penfailed

You can see the search helicopter from our house Different reports saying different things about the vehicle involved - car, jeep, campervan... Loads of stories going around locally too.

Thepoet85

5 dead according to local reports. Our town's been trough too much, just hearing this. Don't even know if I know of anyone who's passed. Don't know what to hope

John_Rambo

Stheno wrote: »

The indo have commentary from a local saying it's a dangerous pathway

I used to sail a good bit and spent a fair amount of time sliding down slipways on my ar5e. I've seen 4wd cars slide in to water backwards whilst trying to drive forward or with the brakes on. Usually they end up sitting with water up to their wheel arches, but some slipways could have a shelf or a drop off where the cement ends. High tide was around 5 pm today.

Whatever happened, it's a pure tragedy.

Thepoet85

manutd wrote:

"FIVE people have died in a tragic accident in Buncrana this evening. The five, 2 adult males, one adult female and two small boys, lost their lives when the car they were in entered the water at the slipway in Buncrana. A sixth occupant of the car, believed to be an two-month old infant, survived and has been taken to hospital."

Atlantic Dawn wrote:

This looks like the area...

That's it

longshanks

What is it about Donegal and horrific car accidents?

Blingy

Awfully sad news. Can't even imagine the heartbreak for the family now.

KERSPLAT!

Mod

I'm sure it doesn't need to be said but I'll say it anyway, can everyone please remain respectful.

Poor people, my thoughts go out to them and their families.

failinis

My friend works in the food place right by the pier and her boss is also one of the life boat workers. I wont say much as its all speculation.
Sounds horrific, my friend is shook up just by seeing it, never mind the police who have to knock on someones door tonight.

NIMAN

Tragic news, may they all rest in peace.

Miss Merry Berry

God rest their poor souls. I can't imagine the absolute shock and agony their families are going through. Another tragedy in my beautiful Donegal, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone there.

Dolbert

2 small children among the dead. Jesus. I can't even imagine it

K-9

Ah Jaysus. heart goes out to all effected.

One small blessing is an infant survived

Cee-Jay-Cee

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Very strange, the slipway isn't beside a main road or anything, not something you'd drive off so easily by accident

It's not very strange at all. The pier is a popular spot for motorists. The slipway is extremely slippery especially when the tide is out. I have personally experienced the car I was a passenger is slip on the same slipway when the driver went too far down it, luckily he managed to turn the car and get grip again and drive off the slipway but I can see how someone might panic and simply brake in the hope of stopping the slide instead of trying to drive out of it.

Such very sad news and more so when there is your children involved.

Rest in peace.

wokingvoter

I'm always terrified when I see cars parked too near to the edge of any waters. I can't understand how the driver isn't concerned about ending up submerged
I've read too many of these stories most of them complete accidents
RIP

armaghlad

RIP. Heart breaking. Surely the pier should be closed to cars if the ferry isn't running (or has it just started up again?)

K-9

armaghlad wrote: »

RIP. Heart breaking. Surely the pier should be closed to cars if the ferry isn't running (or has it just started up again?)

Don't think so, there's always a clamour by Councillors at this time of year to get funding for it. IIRC it ran for a short time last year and no service the year before.

Doodie123

I was chatting to the Guard waving traffic off from the Pier Road.

It's a Northern registered car, a MPV type.

A local who lived in the apartments down there beside the restaurant saw them on the slipway, with the lights jerking (assuming it was slipping on the weeds/algae)

From what i heard (so take with a grain of salt), they got to the car when it was bobbing in the water and retrieved the baby (a few weeks old) when it was passed out the window.

It's extremely deep there, and there was dredging carried out late last year for the local summer ferry service across the swilly.

Back in the 80's there was another fatality involving a Fiesta off the end of the same pier - about 30 Meters further along.
Originally there was balks of timber (old railway sleepers) alongside the edges of the original pier to stop traffic - this was replaced with aluminum railings and lower aluminum tube-type barriers about a foot high.

The local RNLI have a lifeboat moored on the other side of the pier - about 15 meters away.

Google maps show a swinging gate type that should block off the slipway. I can't personally recall if it's still there, unlocked or what.

edit: removed the family nickname of the local who saved the baby and clarified the barrier situation

JP Liz V1

RIP awful loss of lives

Torricelli

The family were from Derry.

Puts your own petty problems into perspective.

RIP

antodeco

So sad to hear. RIP to the whole family. Things like this shouldn't happen.

FirefighterT7

RIP God help all involved and loved ones left behind.. Hope baby makes it through ok..

Summer wind

So very sorry to hear this awful news. It's especially sad when you hear of a little child's death. I've a little boy myself and its terrible to think of what's happened to those little boys. May they all Rest In Peace.

eviltwin

This is one of the saddest things I've read in a long time. Those poor people Rest in peace.

Wanderer78

rip

dublinman1990

My god that is heartbreaking news. Life is so fragile now when we hear things like this when it shouldn't be.

RIP to all who died. I hope the small baby survives the horrible incident in hospital and makes a full recovery.

antodeco

Gave my kids a little bit of an extra hug tonight.

Martypants1

So sad...baby passed out the window and then then they proceed to drown. So sad. I can't imagine the horror they must have faced knowing they were in such trouble.

maryishere

so sad, God help them. rip

jomalone14

Martypants1 wrote: »

So sad...baby passed out the window and then then they proceed to drown. So sad. I can't imagine the horror they must have faced knowing they were in such trouble.

And indeed the horror of the poor people who witnessed this and tried to rescue those poor souls.An unimaginable horror that will live with them always.

Many those poor people RIP.

Autosport

May they rest in peace

NIMAN

Apparently it was a Derry family.
The mother of the baby that survived is meant to be in England on a weekend away.
She lost her partner, her mother, her sister and her 2 other children.

May she find the strength to continue for her baby.

racso1975

NIMAN wrote: »

Apparently it was a Derry family.
The mother of the baby that survived is meant to be in England on a weekend away.
She lost her partner, her mother, her sister and her 2 other children.

May she find the strength to continue for her baby.

Oh sweet Jesus!!!!

Autonomous Cowherd

NIMAN wrote: »

Apparently it was a Derry family.
The mother of the baby that survived is meant to be in England on a weekend away.
She lost her partner, her mother, her sister and her 2 other children.

May she find the strength to continue for her baby.

Oh God. It's unimaginable. Rest in peace and strength to their loved ones.

ibarelycare

What a horrific tragedy. One of the worst news stories I've read in a very long time. I was reading the report from a witness this morning and it was horrendous, it will stay with me for a long time. What an awful way to die, those last moments must have been so terrifying I hope the poor little baby pulls through. My heart goes out to the witness(es), I can't imagine ever getting over seeing something like that.

failinis

Mix of family was from Derry - but the good news (I guess) is that the surviving child seems to be doing okay in Letterkenny Hospital.
Hopefully the child makes a full recovery so the mother has someone left in the world. Its just such a sad story
Apparently the family were from my exact area, I really hope I did not know them or that my family knows them.

traineeacc

We had just arrived home from our own holiday there when we read this, it's unimaginable that poor woman. My heart is broken for her. Really tragic

ibarelycare

Jesus that poor woman - losing her partner, two of her children, her mother and her sister all in one freak accident, while she was away enjoying herself on a hen

Annasopra

ibarelycare wrote: »

Jesus that poor woman - losing her partner, two of her children, her mother and her sister all in one freak accident, while she was away enjoying herself on a hen

I'm in tears reading about it

Mint Sauce

Heard this breaking last night, and in the early hours, not sure what to make of it. Listening then to a bystanders account on the incident, describing what sounds like a tragic accident, a frantic cry for help, and the rescue of the infant, on Newstalk this morning, I was welling up in the car.

Anyone with kids, give them an extra hug this morning, I know I would if I had any.

Hopefully the infant can pull though, and absolute kudos to the man who risked his own life to rescue it. Hopefully everybody in Buncrana and Derry is queuing up to thank him.

RIP in peace to the deceased, and coldances to all.

I haven't been as absorbed in anything on the radio as I was with that interview with that Crawford man on both Newstalk and RTÉ Radio 1 this morning. I was driving on autopilot only realising when the interview was over that I had driven so far. Spinechilling stuff as he recounted the 2-year-old baby being handed from the car to the man who dived in to save it, how the swimmer himself was in a terrible state when he arrived back, and how the remaining 5 people (all from Derry, it appears) in the car perished after. My entire body had goose pimples.

eviltwin

I just can't imagine the horror of that situation, a normal day out turning into a nightmare in seconds. It's really bothered me, I don't know why. I'm usually very good at not letting tragic stories get to me but this one has really hit a nerve. The poor woman, I hope her baby pulls through.