Sean McGrotty, his sons Mark, 11 and eight-year-old Evan, his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels and her teenage daughter Jodie all died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana and sank in Lough Swilly on Sunday night.
THE five people who died after the vehicle they were in slipped off the pier in Buncrana on Sunday night have been identified as members of an extended family from Derry.
Sean McGrotty (46), his sons Mark(12) and eight-year-old Evan, his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels (57) and her teenage daughter Jodie-Lee (15) all died after their car slid off a pier in Buncrana and sank in Lough Swilly shortly after 7.30pm.
The children’s mother was in Liverpool at a hen party at the time of the incident and now faces the unimaginable loss of her partner, her two sons, her mother and her younger sister.
Baby Rioghnach, aged just two months, was pulled from the water by a bystander, and is said to be in a stable condition at Letterkenny General Hospital.
It is believed the car may have slipped on algae on the pier while turning.
Elisha McCallion, the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, is to open a Book of Condolence following the tragedy.
She said: “This is a terrible tragedy that has affected the entire community in Derry and Donegal and left all of us numb. Who would have thought that a family day out could have ended so tragically, it is beyond belief and I can’t put into words how sorry I am for the family and those affected by this dreadful accident.
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