THREE Irish tourists killed when their car plunged off the A-7 motorway near Malaga in the early hours of Sunday have been named as members of a family from Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
Amy McCullagh, her brother-in-law Mark McCullagh and his partner Michaela Newcombe were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, Amy’s husband Ian McCullagh, aged in his 30s, and Mark’s brother, was rushed to Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga. He remains in a serious condition.
The four had flown to Spain together at the end of last week.
READ MORE: Tragedy in Malaga as three young Irish people die in ‘devastating’ late night head on collision
The rented Mercedes they were travelling in left the A-7 near the Cerrado de Calderon exit, on the Almeria-bound carriageway, shortly after 2.30am on Sunday.
It plunged some 30 metres down a steep embankment and came to rest on Calle Pintor Sanchez Cotan below.
A 64-year-old woman travelling in a second vehicle was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Initial reports described the incident as a collision between two vehicles. Guardia Civil have since confirmed that the Mercedes driver lost control before any impact occurred.
“The collision occurred after the loss of control,” a Guardia Civil source said.
Investigators are using computer data from the rented car — the Mercedes carried no black box — to establish the speed it was travelling and determine what caused the driver to lose control.
The 64-year-old will also be interviewed as a witness to the moments before the car left the road.
“It’s too early at this stage to say what could be behind the accident and whether it’s related to excess speed or mechanical problems with the vehicle or other issues,” a Guardia Civil spokesman said.
Tributes poured in online for Michaela Newcombe, described as ‘loving and caring’, ‘bubbly’ and ‘such a beautiful young lady’. The beauty salon where she worked in Mullingar closed on Monday.
Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy, who represents Longford-Westmeath and said he knows one of the bereaved families well, spoke on RTE’s Morning Ireland on Monday morning.
“It’s the worst of phone calls to get,” he said. “They only went on holidays at the end of last week, and to get this call yesterday evening was heartbreaking.”
He called on the community to give the families ‘the time, space and necessary supports’, and said the Irish embassy had been engaging with them since Sunday evening.
The McCullagh brothers are descendants of boxing legend Michael ‘Maxie’ McCullagh, who represented Ireland at the 1948 London Olympics in the men’s lightweight event and reached the quarter-finals.
In 1949 he became the first Irish boxer to win a European title outside Ireland, claiming the European lightweight championship in Oslo.
Foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee said it was important to establish how the crash happened and expressed hope that Ian McCullagh would make a full recovery.
Click here to read more Malaga News from The Olive Press.
