Town in shock after horror crash

Prayers were offered today after eight men were killed in one of the worst road accidents in the history of the State.

Seven of the dead, from three parishes across Inishowen, were in a car when it and another car were in collision on a notorious stretch of road before ploughing into a third.

The driver of the third car, a man in his 60s returning home after an evening at bingo, was also killed.

The crash happened at about 10.40pm on a winding stretch of road between Buncrana and Clonmany known locally as the Mintiagh bends in the townland of Glassmullen. It happened near the North Pole pub.

Father Rafal Januszewski, who celebrated Mass at St Mary’s in Buncrana, spent time comforting relatives in Letterkenny General hospital last night.

“Many, many people were there inside – there were maybe 20 people in the corridor but they were very quiet. Nobody was talking but some people were crying,” the Polish priest said.

“They were distraught. We were talking about this tragedy and offering words of comfort to help to give them peace.”

People who came across the accident said the road was slippery but conditions were nothing out of the ordinary.