A baby girl is in a stable condition in hospital after five members of her family drowned in a tragic accident on the pier at Lough Swilly Harbour in Buncrana, Co. Donegal.
Witnesses say the Audi Q7 containing Sean McGrotty (46) and his two young sons Mark and Evan (aged eight and 12), his baby daughter, his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels (57) and her teenage daughter Jodie-Lee (15), was turning for Donegal when it skidded on algae and entered the water at 7.15pm.
Early reports say the children’s mother Louise James was attending a hen party in Liverpool when the tragedy occurred.
Tragedy #Buncrana pier this eve, jeep with passengers submerged in water. Hope the #rescue services can save lives pic.twitter.com/QF0UYFVHdN
— justin maclochlainn (@jmacrock) March 20, 2016
The tiny infant was thrown to safety through a window as the car plunged towards the icy water but, despite the best efforts of local emergency services, both adults and the other three children in the vehicle died.
Gardai confirm a man, a woman, two boys and a girl died when a jeep went off Buncrana Pier. Incident being treated as a tragic accident
— Barry Whyte (@BarryWhyte85) March 21, 2016
The family’s bodies were recovered from the scene and taken to Letterkenny General Hospital, where post-mortem examinations will take place.
The baby, thought to be just a few months old, is being cared for at Letterkenny General Hospital.
Main image: @Jmacrock
