Buncrana Pier accident: Irish family killed when car slid off pier and into the water named

'I was hoping against hope that the car would stay up until the people came,' says man involved in rescue

Five family members who died when their car slid off a pier in the Irish Republic have been named.

Sean McGrotty, his sons Mark, 11, and Evan, eight, his mother-in-law, Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 15-year-old daughter, Jodie, drowned when their Audi Q7 slipped into the water off a pier in Buncrana in Co Donegal on Sunday evening.

Remarkably, Mr McGrotty's four-month-old baby daughter, Rionaghac-Ann, survived when a passerby dived into the water .

Louise James, the mother of the children, was at a hen party in Liverpool when the accident happened and returned to discover the tragedy.

Jim McGrotty, a brother of Sean, told the Irish Times: "Words cannot express the enormity of the tragedy which has befallen our family.

"We are all numbed by this tragedy which has visited us. If there is anything good which has come out of it, it is the fact that baby Rionaghac-Ann has been saved."

A joint statement issued by the McGrotty and Daniels families said: "The family has been inundated with support and sympathy from the local community and further afield and this is deeply appreciated."

Earlier, an eyewitness described the moment a "heroic" young man leapt into the sea and saved the life of Rioghnach as the "harrowing" incident unfolded.

Sean McGrotty, 46, and his son Evan James, 8, were both killed after the car they were travelling in drove off a pier in County Donegal (Rex)

It is believed the family passed the baby out to the rescuer through the window before their car sank near Buncrana Pier.

Francis Crawford told the BBC: "A fellow came along [...] and I said 'can you swim?' and he says 'I can' and I says 'please please please' and he stripped off to his underwear and he headed out," said Mr Crawford.

"And it was good that he did. He came back with the wee baby. But whether he got it or how he got it - they're saying they just handed it out to him - and when he came back he was totally exhausted [...] I can't see how he made it.

"He was shouting grab the baby, grab the baby and he was taken to hospital [...] but very heroic and it saved the baby."

The scene of the tragedy in County Donegal, where five family members were killed after their car went off the pier (Rex)

Mr Crawford said he was desperately hoping the car would stay afloat until the emergency services arrived.

"And all the time the car was bobbling about, and all the time I was hoping against hope because I knew the services were all on their way, and I was hoping against hope that the car would stay up until the people came," he said.

Ruth Daniels was 57. Both she and her daughter were killed in the crash (Rex)

Jodie Lee Daniels, daughter of Ruth Daniels, was 14 (Rex)

"And I was watching the car and then it started to dip, and then all of a sudden the whole car just went down [...] everything stopped.

"It was harrowing and heart-rending."

The baby was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital by ambulance crews and is in a stable condition.

Her family were reportedly from nearby Derry in Northern Ireland and were visiting the area.

Mark McGrotty, 12, above, with his 8yr old brother Evan, who were both killed (Rex)

Locals have said there have been a number of incidents where cars get into difficulty near the pier in recent months at the slipway usually used by ferries.

Jack Murray, local Sinn Fein councillor in Inishowen, said the accident had brought back memories of past tragedies.

"I don't know what to say about it, it's just awful," he said.

Mr Murray was among a large group of local people who came to the pier when news of the incident broke.

"People who had gathered there were just devastated, it was just complete silence from everybody who was standing there," he said.