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Buncrana tragedy: Man who saved baby 'seconds from saving' second child | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A man who rescued a baby from a drowning tragedy in County Donegal said he was seconds from saving another child. | |
Five members of one family died after their car went off Buncrana Pier on Sunday night. | |
The victims were Ruth Daniels, 57, her daughter Jodie Lee Daniels, 14, Sean McGrotty, 49, and his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, all from Londonderry. | |
Books of condolence have opened in the city. | |
'No more tears left' | |
Davitt Walsh dived into the lough and swam to the family in their car, bringing four-month old Rionaghac-Ann back to safety. | |
He said he also grabbed the arm of one of the boys. | |
"I was pulling it and I had the baby in the other hand," he told the BBC. | |
"The water rushed in and the next thing he [the father] just looked at me and said 'Save the baby' and he went back into his family and the car just went straight down. | |
"I still had the young fella's hand and I just let go of him. His foot must have got caught on something because I nearly had him out," said Mr Walsh. | |
"The poor man had a decision because he was halfway out of the car and could have saved himself." | |
Mr Walsh also told BBC Radio Foyle that he been reunited with baby Rionaghac-Ann at Letterkenny General Hospital. | |
"I've cried all day, I've no more tears left to be honest," he said. | |
"The doctors and nurses took us up to see the baby last night and that was the first time I felt good. We saw Rionaghac and it really lifted me and I felt much much better. " | |
The condolence books opened on Monday night at St Joseph's Church in Galliagh and Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty. | The condolence books opened on Monday night at St Joseph's Church in Galliagh and Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty. |
The funerals of the victims will take place in Derry on Thursday. | The funerals of the victims will take place in Derry on Thursday. |
On Monday, Jim, a brother of Sean McGrotty, said the deaths had "devastated the whole family". | |
"We are now totally in shock and dismay," he said. | "We are now totally in shock and dismay," he said. |
"I don't know how we're going to come back from this." | "I don't know how we're going to come back from this." |
He said that Davitt Walsh was "a hero in this family's eyes". | |