Derry student among victims of Thai crash

A HOLIDAY of a lifetime turned to tragedy for 22-year-old Derry student, Aaron Toland, after it was officially confirmed yesterday that he was among the victims of Sunday’s air crash in Thailand which claimed at least 89 lives.

Three other Irish tourists on board the ill-fated flight remain in hospital on the Thai holiday island of Phuket, including Mr Toland’s best friend, Chris Cooley, who is in a serious but stable condition.

The other two Irish passengers also receiving treatment for their injuries are John Gerard O’Donnell, 26, from Liscannor, Co Clare, and his friend, William Bourke, 23, from Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

Mr Cooley is believed to be in a more critical condition, as those who were located towards the front of the plane suffered the worst injuries when the aircraft split in two during the crash.

Mr Toland and Mr Cooley were sitting beside each other in Row 6 of the McDonnell Douglas aircraft which was on a flight from the Thai capital, Bangkok, to Phuket.

Tragically, the two friends only boarded the flight after a last-minute change to their travel plans.

Mr Toland and Mr Cooley, who have been friends since childhood, were taking a short break in Thailand on their way to spending a year in Australia on a working holiday.

Mr Toland had recently graduated with a business degree from the University of Ulster’s Magee College as well as a diploma in international studies, while Mr Cooley is a qualified electrician.

It is understood Mr Toland’s body was one of the last to be removed from the wreckage of the flight operated by budget carrier, One-Two-Go.

Most of the 41 survivors were seated towards the rear of the plane, which had 130 passengers and crew on board.

Mr O’Donnell and Mr Burke, who were sitting in Row 18, were able to escape the aircraft via the wing, although they suffered a number of serious burns.

The deputy mayor of Derry and Sinn Féin councillor, Patricia Logue, who is Mr Toland’s aunt, said his family was “devastated” at the news of his death.

Issuing a statement on behalf of the Toland family, Ms Logue appealed for privacy for his parents, Myles and Anne-Marie, and other relatives.

“I realise the interest that the media have in reporting the aftermath of this disaster, but I would appeal to them to take account of the human and personal effect that this situation has on the families affected. The parents of Aaron have asked me to appeal to the media to respect their privacy at this traumatic time,” she said.

Northern Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, who knew Mr Toland, described the young man’s death as “a terrible tragedy”.

“Too often we hear about the negative activities of a tiny minority of young people, but here we had in Aaron and Chris two remarkable young men who were an example of what is good and inspiring in the overwhelming majority of our young people,” he said.

Mr Cooley’s father, Edward, who was making plans to travel to Thailand yesterday, said he was warned by the Thai doctors that his son remained in a critical condition after suffering serious head and lung injuries as well as burns.

“He will be in the emergency ward for the next 10 or 12 days, but the doctors say the next 48 hours are critical. We had just got over them leaving when we heard the news,” he said.

Relatives of Mr Burke also revealed that they only became aware that he was on the ill-fated flight when they saw him being interviewed from his hospital bed on CNN.

We were just flicking the channels and there he was,” said his brother, Killian.