Mother tells inquest she ‘sensed’ tragic drowning

A woman who lost her mother, partner, sister and two boys in the Buncrana, Co Donegal drowning tragedy has told how she knew something was wrong the moment the phone rang.

Louise James told the inquest into the deaths of five members of her family that she last saw them on March 18. Minutes before the tragedy, at 6.55pm on Sunday 20, she had spoken by phone with her sister Jodi Lee and boys who were playing in a playpark on the shorefront in Buncrana.

A short time later while at the airport on her journey home from a hen party, she received a call at 7.25pm from her brother Joshua.