The police are persevering in their endeavours to locate kin of a woman and two little girls who tragically lost their lives in a vehicular mishap in County Mayo on Tuesday. Following the accident, a section of the N17 near Claremorris was shut on Wednesday morning, leading to detours being set for local traffic, as per a statement by the Police Press Office.
The collision happened on Tuesday afternoon around 2pm, wherein the woman who’s passed away was driving the car that crashed into a large lorry. Identities of the victims are pending to be disclosed nevertheless, it’s suspected that they were related to one another and hailed from the Galway region.
Currently, it is believed that a few relatives of the deceased are overseas. The woman’s spouse, who works in Ethiopia as a project manager, is understood to be among them. Subsequent to the crash, the deceased individuals were transported to Mayo University Hospital for an autopsy.
Miraculously, the lorry driver escaped the accident without any injuries. Richard Finn, a local independent councillor in Claremorris, conveyed that the local populace was in a state of disbelief and grief. He extended his sympathies to the family and loved ones of the unfortunate victims. Finn praised the emergency services for their swift and efficient response to the incident.
Adding to the gloom, Michael Loftus, Chairperson of Mayo County Council, marked Tuesday as a desolate day for County Mayo, citing the N17 accident and the demise of two elderly individuals, Tom and Eileen Mahon, in a residential fire in Swinford. He stated that County Mayo had unfortunately witnessed five fatalities in a single day – an unprecedented occurrence. Loftus conveyed that regardless of the victims’ origins, their communities are undoubtedly left devastated.
Father Peter Gannon, a priest in Claremorris, noted that Tuesday was particularly somber and dreary. However, he added, the news of the crash stirred even deeper gloom. Gannon mentioned that the fateful road had a history of multiple accidents, with many lives tragically claimed over the years.