Updated 12.25pm
POLICE IN SCOTLAND have confirmed that three of the people killed in yesterday’s horrific bin lorry crash in Glasgow were all members of the same family.
Sky News reports that an elderly couple and their granddaughter were among the six victims.
They have been named on social media as Jack and Lorraine Sweeney and their teenage granddaughter Erin McQuade.
A football club in Canada, where Jack Sweeney was a former president, posted the following statement:
It is with great shock and sadness we share with you our friend and past President Jack Sweeney, his wife Lorraine and granddaughter Erin were victims of today’s tragedy in Glasgow. Our thoughts and prayers go to the Family and friends of the Sweeney family.
Earlier, police asked members of the public to send any footage they have from the scene to them.
Six people – five females and one man – were killed when a city council bin truck mounted the pavement and crashed into a group of Christmas shoppers. It continued down the path for another 300 metres before hitting the Millenium Hotel building.
Another ten people, including the driver, received treatment in hospital. Six remain in hospital with two moved to the Intensive Therapy Unit for further monitoring.
Witnesses have said they saw the driver of the refuse lorry slumped over the wheel before the incident. It is thought that he became ill while driving but he was able to communicate after the collision.
Police believe there was nothing sinister about the crash.
“It is a road traffic collision with multiple fatalities,” police superintendent Stewart Carle told reporters, adding: “It does not look to be a criminal or deliberate attack.”
The bodies of those who died in the tragedy have now been taken away from the scene. Mourners have started to leave floral tributes at the site.
The Christmas lights have also been turned off on George Square. Flags have also been lowered to half mast as a mark of respect to the victims.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called it a “sad day for Glasgow and Scotland” and urged anyone who was in the area at the time of the accident to contact their loved ones.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved in this tragic incident, and especially with the friends and families of the six people who lost their lives,” she said in a statement.
With reporting by AFP
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