The slipway remained open today as hundreds of people visited to pay their respects to those who perished on Sunday evening.
Two days after five people lost their lives at a Co Donegal pier,
warning signs or safety measures have still not been installed at the
location.
Even more incredible was the sight of drivers being allowed to drive
freely up and down the slipway at Buncrana Pier today.
Despite the tragedy which cost the lives of three young people and two
adults from the same family, not even temporary preventative measures
have yet been taken at the pier.
A large metal gate to the entrance of the slipway remains unlocked and does
not appear to have been closed in months while there are no warning signs of the presence of thick algae.
Hundreds of people have been visiting the scene of the accident which
happened just after 7pm on Sunday evening.
The scene where the family’s car slipped into the water.
Many laid flowers and left little souvenirs to the family whose car
slipped into the waters at Lough Swilly.
But despite the obvious dangers posed by the slipway, a number of cars
drove onto the slipway and did u-turns to come back up.
Others walked down to the thick green algae on which the AudiQ7 jeep
lost its grip and slid into the sea.
Apart from a sign warning people not to swim within 15 metres of the
slipway, there are no warning signs of dangers at the pier and none
have been posted at the scene since Sunday evening’s tragedy.
The barrier remained locked open against a wall.
It comes as the heroic young man who saved the life of a baby in the
Donegal drowning disaster has pleaded with the local county council to
ensure that safety is paramount at the location.
Brave Davitt Walsh gave no thought to his own safety when he stripped
to his underwear and dived into the freezing waters of Lough Swilly on
Sunday evening.
He managed to save one child and almost had another out of the doomed
jeep before it sank killing all five remaining passengers.
But Davitt, 28, from Kerrykeel, said lessons need to be learned from
the tragedy and said a barrier now needs to be erected on the slipway.
His warning comes following local reports that there have been several
near misses on the slipway on Buncrana Pier in recent months.
Tributes left the pier for the people who drowned at Buncrana Pier on Sunday evening.
“I really do think that something needs to be done. That algae is just
lethal. We slipped on it as we went down. It’s grand for local as they
know the angers posed by the slipway and how dangerous it can be.
“But visitors are simply not aware of this. All that needs to be
erected there is a barrier which can easily be opened and closed to
prevent cars going down it.
“The slipway is like a skating rink because of all that algae and
those poor people didn’t stand a chance because they didn’t know the
area,” he said.
Local operations manager for the RNLI John McCarter said algae is an
ongoing issue.
“That (the algae) is an ongoing issue for anybody who uses slipways or
who launches boats. We have seen rigs go into the water but
fortunately it has never involved people and this is just the nature
of the interface between the sea and the land.
“The county council have their ways of looking at and managing their
assets. The slipway is not used much during the winter months. It does
facilities the ferry operation in the summer months but like all
slipways that are exposed to the tides and the air, they do get
slippery,” he said.
A spokesman for Donegal County Council said they will only decide if
specific measures need to be taken at the pier once the facts
surrounding the tragedy have been established.
“We at Donegal County Council offer our sincere condolences to the
family and friends of those who lost their lives in the tragic
accident at Buncrana Pier on Sunday evening. Our thoughts and prayers
are with the Daniels and McGrotty families at this very sad time.
“Once the facts surrounding this unfortunate tragedy are established,
the Council will review them and determine if any specific measures
need to be taken.
“Until these facts are established Donegal County Council will not be
in a position to offer further comment on this incident,” he said.
