Updated 7.20am
A SURVIVOR of the Cork airport crash, graduate Donal Walsh, texted friends in the hours after yesterday’s fatal plane crash in Cork to say:
I am fine with very minor injuries all things considered. Thank God.
The twenty something is a recent graduate from Waterford Institute of Technology.
He is one of two who miraculously walked away from the plane.
More details are emerging about the identities of the victims, who include Brendan McAleese, a cousin of the husband of President Mary McAleese. The six victims have been named as Captain Michael Evans, Brendan McAleese, partner in KPMG Belfast, Pat Cullinan, Richard Noble from England, the pilot Jordi Gola Lopez, and co-pilot Andrew Cantle.
President Mary McAleese spoke yesterday of the ‘shared pain’ of the families, and spoke about her husband’s first cousin, Brendan McAleese, who was a “fine and loving husband, father, son and brother”.
Professor Cusack from Cork University Hospital said this morning on RTE Radio that all the survivors passed a good night and added that he is hopeful that all six will fully recover.
He said that the survivors were experiencing a range of emotions: some were quite elated at having survived, while others felt very depressed.
The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Ireland told TheJournal.ie yesterday that Donal Walsh was a volunteer with them. Adam Jones, director of IFES Ireland, said that Donal was an intern worker with them:
He miraculously walked away from this tragic accident, escaping with minor injuries. He is in hospital at the moment receiving follow-up treatment. Donal had been returning from IFES Ireland Christian Union events in Belfast.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has confirmed to RTE that he was considering taking the flight from Belfast this morning to campaign for Sinn Fein in the wider Cork area.
Additional reporting by Jennifer O’Connell
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