Updated Nov 17th 2019, 6:41 PM

THE MAN WHO died after a car slipped off a pier on Arranmore Island has been named as Lee Early. 

Another man survived the accident, which occurred at around 5.10am this morning.

Two men in the car became submerged underwater.

Local sources say the men may have been trying to turn the car on the pier when it slipped into the sea.

A man in his 30s, who has not been named, managed to make it to land.

Early was the driver of the car. A local RNLI volunteer, he was popular and well-known in the small island community.

Local Donegal TD Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher called Early a “respected and hard-working young man”.

The pier on Arranmore Island. Source: Joe Dunne

Calling him “popular”, Gallagher said that he worked on one of the ferries that carries people to and from the island.

“His parents are both from the island and they’re a respected family,” Gallagher said. ”A dark cloud descended on west Donegal when the news of his tragic and untimely death broke.”

His body has been removed to Letterkenny University Hospital where a post mortem will take place tomorrow.

A full Garda investigation into the cause of the tragedy is underway.

With reporting from Dominic McGrath and Sean Murray