No warning signs erected at Buncrana pier despite tragedy

Two days after five people died at a Co Donegal pier, warning signs or safety measures have still not been installed there.

Drivers were still able to drive freely up and down the slipway at Buncrana Pier yesterday.

Despite the tragedy which cost the lives of three children and two adults from the same extended family, not even temporary preventative measures have been taken at the pier.

A large metal barrier to the entrance of the slipway remains open but locked.

Hundreds of people have been visiting the scene of the accident, which happened just after 7pm on Sunday.

Many laid flowers and left souvenirs to the family whose car slipped into the waters at Lough Swilly.

However, 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 Audi Q7 SUV lost its grip and slid into the sea.

Apart from a sign warning people not to swim within 15m of the slipway, there are no warning signs of dangers at the pier and none have been posted at the scene since Sunday’s tragedy.

Meanwhile, the man who saved the life of a baby in the drowning disaster has asked the county council to ensure safety is paramount.

Former League of Ireland footballer Davitt Walsh stripped to his underwear and dived into the freezing waters of Lough Swilly.

He managed to save a baby and almost had another person out of the vehicle before it sank, killing all five remaining passengers.

Mr Davitt, aged 28, from Kerrykeel, said lessons need to be learnt 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. “I really do think something needs to be done,” he said. “That algae is just lethal.

“We slipped on it as we went down. It’s grand for locals as they know the dangers posed by the slipway.

“But visitors are simply not aware of this. All that needs to be erected there is a barrier.”

John McCarter, local operations manager for the RNLI, 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 facilitate the ferry operation in the summer months but, like all slipways that are exposed to the tides and the air, they do get slippery.”

A spokesman for Donegal County Council said that they will only decide if specific measures need to be taken at the pier once the facts surrounding the tragedy have been established.

The tragedy occupied a significant part of Dáil proceedings yesterday, with politicians voicing their shock at what happened.

Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he will never forget the chilling accounts of the deaths of the family members, telling the chamber that “our hearts go out to them”.

A minute’s silence was observed in their memory.