Dunshaughlin football fans caught up in Liverpool parade horror

A group of 15 Liverpool fans from Dunshaughlin were among the crowds celebrating in Liverpool city centre on Monday when a car ploughed into pedestrians, injuring nearly 50 people.

Local councillor, Fionnan Blake and his son, Jamie, were among the Dunshaughlin fans in the crowd when the scenes of joy turned into scenes of horror.

"We were quite close to where it happened but the crowds were so big and there was so much noise, we didn't realise what happened until later. None of our group were injured but it was shocking and put a dampner on everything.

"We were very lucky really. We were on the main promenade near the Liver building and the incident happened nearby on one of the road off it.

"We had been trying to get down that road (Water Street), but the crowd was moving too slow so we went back.

"We heard all the sirens and saw the ambulances, but weren't sure what happened at first. We were actually in a queue in restaurant when somebody told us.

"We were very lucky that we weren't there when it happened. It was a dreadful thing to happen.

The Dunshaughlin group had travelled over on Saturday night, went to the match on Sunday and the parade on Monday.

"The atmosphere was fantastic. They had been expecting about 500,000 but there were between 800,000 and a million there. There wasn't a massive police presence but it was well put together and well fenced off. They have done it before.

"There was chaos on Monday evening as the trains were off and there were no buses running and people were trying to get home or to their hotels. The people of Liverpool are wonderful, They were offering people lifts and and were offering people their spare rooms. They were fantastic."

The incident happened on Water Street in the heart of the city, metres from the Royal Liver Building and the town hall, after roads had been reopened after the main parade.

A 53-year-old white British man believed to be the driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene, as scenes of jubilation were rapidly replaced with scenes of fear and confusion.

The local ambulance service confirmed 27 people were taken to hospital, with two of the injured, including one child, sustaining serious injuries. In addition, 20 patients were treated at the scene near Water Street. Four children were injured in total.