Hundreds attend Strabane vigil for three family members killed in road collision

A vigil has been held in Strabane for three family members who were killed in a road collision in Co Tyrone.

The victims - named locally as brother and sister Dan and Christine McKane and their aunt Julia McSorley - died when the minivan they were travelling in collided with a lorry near Aughnacloy early on Thursday morning.

They were from the Strabane and Newtownstewart areas.

Emergency services attended the scene and four members of the family were taken to hospital.

They had been travelling home after attending a funeral in England.

The vigil took place at Our Lady's Grotto in Strabane, with hundreds of people coming out to remember the victims and show support to the McKane and McSorley families.

Friends and relatives of those killed were in attendance as mourners filled the Grotto, while more gathered on the surrounding streets.

A moment of silence was observed and a candle was lit for each of the victims.

Father Declan Boland, who held the vigil, thanked those in attendance.

"Your presence here this evening is deeply appreciated," he said.

"We're all at a loss of what to say, how to respond, but we respond in the deepest way possible - we gather together as a community of faith."

Mr Boland expressed condolences to the family on behalf of the community in Strabane.

"We're standing in silent solidarity this evening with the McKane family, that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss," he said.

He also asked for prayers for the four other members of the family injured in the crash.

Two have been discharged from hospital.

A mass was also held in Aughnacloy in memory of the victims.

The incident has prompted calls from politicians and community figures for the A5 road, where the incident occurred, to be upgraded and made safer.