LAST UPDATE | 18 Jul 2023

A FATHER AND son from Co Laois died in a fatal road traffic collision in Turkey yesterday afternoon, after a bus collided with a moped that the two were on, according to Turkish media.

Eoin Fitzpatrick, 36, and his son Dylan, 10, were struck by a coach in Alanya, Turkey, yesterday while on holiday. Both were pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance and police.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it is aware of the incident and is providing consular assistance.

“As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of any specific case,” added the Department spokesperson.

Sinn Féin TD for Laois-Offaly Brian Stanley told RTÉ’s News At One that the family were neighbours of his and they were due to fly yesterday. 

“The boy in particular, the ten year old, would’ve been very popular here in the neighbourhood. [He would] play and mix around with the kids in the street here,” Stanley said.

“It’s an awful situation,” he added.

Turkish media reports suggest that the driver of the bus was detained by police at the scene.

According to Stanley, the boy’s mother is travelling to Turkey.

The Leinster Express reported that the family were on holiday at the time with the father’s partner and two other children, who were not involved in the collision.

“This seemed to have been in the last hours of their holiday [...] They literally went on a last minute errand and a fatal accident happened,” Stanley told RTÉ Radio One.

Stanley said the road accident was an “awful tragedy”.

Additional reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill