by Girl Survives After Car Fell Into Sea Killing 5 Family Members (Photos)
A baby girl has emerged the only survivor after the car she was in with her family plunged headlong into the sea killing everyone but her.
The scene of the bizarre accident
The baby girl was pulled alive from the car after it slipped off a pier and killed five members of her family, including three children.
The car, said to be an Audi Q7, is thought to have slid on algae while turning at Buncrana Pier in Co Donegal, a Northwestern Ireland town, on Sunday evening.
The baby, thought to be just months old, was saved with the help of a bystander and is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
Emergency services said they had recovered the bodies of two boys, a man and a woman. The age of a second female fatality has not been confirmed.
The victims have not been named but reports in Irish press suggest the family are from Northern Ireland.
It is understood gardai are treating the incident as an accident and it is thought the car may have “slipped” into the water at around 7.30pm yesterday.
The bodies have been taken to Letterkenny General Hospital and post-mortem examinations will take place in due course.
A major air and sea rescue mission was mounted by the coastguard, gardai and emergency services after the alarm was raised on Sunday evening.
Two lifeboats, a helicopter and local fishing boats were involved in the effort to save those trapped inside the car, believed to have a Northern Ireland registration plate.
Witnesses have described the scene as chaotic.
The pier is a popular attraction for tourists and locals and it is believed the family may have stopped to admire the sunset.
There has been an outpouring of grief on social media.
Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was among those who expressed sadness at the tragedy.
He said: “My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the devastating tragedy unfolding in Buncrana this evening.
“Our thoughts and appreciation must also be with the emergency services who have had to deal with this tragic situation.”
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