21/03/2016 BBC Newsline

A man who saved a baby girl in the drowning tragedy

in County Donegal has been speaking about the frantic efforts

to try to rescue the five members of her family who died.

They were on a day out to the coast from Londonderry when their car slid

down the pier in Buncrana and submerged.

Those who lost their lives were Sean McGrotty,

his mother-in-law, Ruth Daniels, her fourteen-year-old daughter

Jodie Lee and his two sons, Mark McGrotty who was twelve

Our first report is from Keiron Tourish.

Distressing scenes at the pier in Buncrana as relatives came to lay

flowers for much loved family members.

No one can quite fathom what has happened.

It is believed in the family car got into difficulty

on this algae which had gathered over the winter on the slipway.

One eyewitness said the tragedy took just

heartbreaking moments to unfold, as the car accidentally

And it was in the water before we knew, and the Fire Brigade

came in a flash, but they were just gone.

The people were away, and we were all standing there.

Another man watched in horror as the car was submerged

and recalled the dramatic rescue of a baby girl,

just four months old, by a passer-by.

He was just out for a day trip, I think, with his partner.

And he stripped off to his underwear and headed out.

At great risk to himself, because the water

was cold, and he came back in with the baby.

If he had had his clothes on he would not have made it,

He was totally exhausted when he came back.

The Deputy First Minister today visited the scene.

Earlier he had been to see the grief stricken

family, and one women whose profound personal loss was incalculable.

There are no words to sum up the heartbreak.

I have just come from meeting with the young woman who has

lost her partner, her two sons, her mother and her sister.

A major emergency was declared last night,

but nothing can prepare individuals for such a tragedy.

You train for this, but nothing prepares you for it.

A lot of our crew have young families.

That was probably an experience, and there are a lot of things

Amidst the tragedy, there was positive news

on the four-month-old baby girl who was rescued.

A bystander rescued a young baby, four-month-old baby,

from the vehicle, and that baby is now in hospital doing very well.

From a community united in sympathy and utter disbelief.

A man who jumped into the water and rescued the four-month-old baby,

Rioghnach-Ann, has been talking about what happened.

I saw the car, and so we went down to help straightaway.

So we got out of the car, and there was a guy there,

And I was like, all right, I take my phone out,

give it my girlfriend to ring the Coast Guard.

I looked out and I could see the distress in the family,

the father and mother and the two children,

So I took off my clothes down to my boxers and just swam out

And just when I got out there, the father had the window half ajar,

and he started hitting it with his elbow to break it.

I started shouting, please, everybody

has to get out of the car, the car is going to go down,

At the stage when the windows broke, the father sat on the ledge

of the window and the water started to seep in.

He then handed me the baby infant and said, take the baby.

I took the baby, and said, someone else,

He just looked at me and said, save my baby.

I held it above my head and swam back to shore.

It must have been awful to have to leave them behind,

while at the same time you were saving a life.

I was out there swimming, and I didn't know

how I was going to help, what was going to happen.

But the baby was handed to me, and what had happened,

the father looked at me and he had to make a decision.

He could have saved himself, because he was out of the car,

I took the baby infant back to shore.

My girlfriend was waiting at the shore,

My girlfriend stripped the baby down, got her warm with the blankets

You are entered, I see. I just had to the baby's life.

You are entered, I see. I just had to get stitches on my feet. -- UART

injuried. But apart from that I am fine. Just shaken.

injuried. But apart from that I am just deal terrible I could not do

any more for the family. It is just an awful tragedy. And seeing the

actual Coast Guard and everybody work with the family. We were still

on the pier as they were coming out, and seeing how hard the Coast Guard,

everybody worked there. It was unbelievable. They spend so long

trying to resuscitate the woman and bring them all back, but it was just

so horrendous to watch it all. He was a good father. Yes, he was,

certainly. The younger child was trying to get the back of him, and I

think the father knew I was only going to be able to save one person,

and he said to me, save the baby. And he went back and stayed with his

family in the car and just disappeared.

The grieving Daniels and McGrotty families said today they had been

inundated with support from their local community

and farther afield which they "deeply appreciated".

Kevin Sharkey has spent the day in Derry.

The Sunday afternoon drive to the seaside began here,

The tragic end has left relatives heartbroken.

Love for them two kids, love for his wife, his children.

It has come as an unbelievable shock. We buried her sister eight

months ago. And my mother died about two, three years ago as well. So we

were all still basically in mourning for my sister, and this just has

devastated the whole family. Totally in shock and dismay. I don't know

how we are going to come back from this one. They just had a baby girl

as well, and thank God she survived. I want to thank the man who saved

her. I don't know your name, sir, but you are a hero in this family's

eyes. The local priest has dealt with many

tragedies in his parish Words fail me to describe the depth

of feeling, the shock. Never in all my years of priesthood

have I come across St Joseph's, St Eithnes's

and St Mary's. Pupils arriving for class

to the news that classmates At St Mary's, Jodie Lee Daniels

was in third year. They are remembering her

as a beautiful girl, a very bright girl

with a bright future. For relatives today,

there's been widespread community I was up with the family this

morning, and to lose her two children and her husband

and her mother and her sister in one All day the grieving

relatives and their friends have been coming

together for support. And they will come together again

on Thursday for a joint funeral mass for the five

victims at this church. A man was shot in front of children

leaving a primary school The gun attack was in

the Moyraverty area. The man's condition in hospital

is described as stable. Gun violence comes

to the school gates. The victim a father picking

up his child in this car. Police knew him -

he had a criminal record. His attackers also knew him,

and they knew he was coming here. Well, it couldn't have

been busier in this area It happened shortly after three

o'clock as parents were arriving Men waiting in a car fired

on the victim It's been roundly condemned

by local representatives. There were a number of children in

the area who witnessed that, and I have spoken to the family of some of

those children, and they are still crying their eyes out. Absolute

state of shock. Absolutely reprehensible, and no consideration

or thought for the nightmares now that the young children are going to

experience over the coming days and weeks.

The staff at St Brendan's have been left to pick up the pieces.

The school plans to open as normal tomorrow.

But some of its youngest pupils have witnessed what no-one

of any age should - a man with gunshot wounds

The victim is now in a stable condition in hospital.

Police want to hear from the many witnesses who were in the area

They also want information on a black BMW

they believe may have been used in the attack.

It was found on fire a few miles away in the Kilwilkie Estate.

The family of a homeless woman who died in a shop doorway

at the weekend has described her as a person of compassion and joy

who had battled addictions for years.

Catherine Kenny was 32 and originally from Downpatrick.

Her family say for the last 11 months she'd been living

A charity says it was trying to find her a hostel

It is incredibly heartbreaking she doesn't get the chance to come back.

Even though she had addiction issues, she would have had a safe

place with support and help. On tomorrow's BBC Newsline we ask

if rules should be changed to allow gay couples better access

to fertility treatment One couple share their story -

that's on BBC Newsline tomorrow Barra Best has the latest

weather forecast. The high pressure which is given us

largely settled weather over the last week or so is just clinging on

and will stay over the next day or so. But as we go through the week it

gives way to low pressure systems, just in time for the Easter weekend,

meaning it will be unsettled at times with windier conditions and

rain on the way. Tonight largely cloudy, mainly dry. The cloud may

rain on the way. Tonight largely taken off in one or two spots to

give of taken off in one or two spots to

for most dry. Tomorrow much taken off in one or two spots to

around, perhaps with a few breaks and brighter

around, perhaps with a few breaks there may be some thick enough

patches to give of one or two spots of light rain or drizzle, but mostly

dry day. There will be a lot of cloud right across Ireland to begin

tomorrow. The best of the sunshine for many areas of Britain,

especially eastern areas. Through the day the cloud. From the west.

But said to stay dry, temperatures ranging from the high single figures

to maybe even 12 or 13 degrees in the south-east Finland. -- of

England. There will be sunny gaps coming through, winds staying late,

nine, maybe 10 degrees. Then low-pressure moving in bringing wet

weather, stronger winds as well. That will remain the course as we

begin Thursday, Friday, Easter weekend. Some more unsettled weather

on the way. Some of the country's

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