Glasgow bin lorry crash: service held to remember six victims

A special church service is being held today to remember the six victims of Monday's bin lorry crash in central Glasgow.

Erin McQuade, an 18-year-old English Literature student at Glasgow University, and her grandparents Lorraine and John Sweeney, from Dumbarton, were among the six people who died when the lorry careered out of control and ploughed into Christmas shoppers.

According to reports cited in The Times, Erin's mother, Jacqueline, had been at a bank nearby and saw her family killed.

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The other three victims were named as Stephenie Tait, 29, a primary school teacher from Glasgow, Jacqueline Morton, 51, from Glasgow, and Gillian Ewing, 52, a wedding planner from Edinburgh.

The latter was believed to have been with her daughter on a Christmas shopping trip.

A further ten people were injured, with six people, including the driver, still in hospital. One patient is said to be in a critical condition.

Philip Tartaglia, Archbishop of Glasgow, will lead the mass at St Andrew's Cathedral at 1pm for all those affected by the tragedy.

Hundreds of floral tributes have been laid at the site of the disaster and a £60,000 council fund for the relatives of those killed will open to the public for donations.

It is still not clear what caused the driver, who has not been named, to lose control of the vehicle.

Witnesses said he was slumped at the wheel as the lorry collided with pedestrians on Queen Street and finally crashed into the Millennium Hotel at George Square.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman told Glasgow's Evening Times that there were two other crew members on the lorry at the time of the crash, but the condition of the two men is not yet known.

The Queen was among those to send a message of condolence. "This sad event is made even more difficult as it comes at Christmas time," she said. "I send my condolences to all the people of Glasgow."