Twin tried to save dying sister

Nastasha Murray's sister, Nicola, died in the collision

The twin sister of the girl who died after a lorry crashed into a school bus has described how she held her sister as people tried to save her life.

Nastasha Murray's sister, Nicola, 16, was killed in the accident on the A4 Ballygawley Road in Cabragh, County Tyrone, on Wednesday.

"I helped her as best I could, but she just wasn't responding," she said.

Natasha said her sister's friend, who had trained in first aid, tried to resuscitate her without success.

"She took control of the whole situation, she was on the phone trying to get help. She was just unreal," she said.

Safety measures

The Murray family has called for action to be taken to make the road safer.

Nicola's father, Jim, said they felt for the lorry driver.

"He didn't get up that morning to cause death, Paula (Nicola's mother) and I feel for him in what he must be going through," he said.

Nicola attended St Ciaran's High School, Ballygawley

"I'm sure he's a man like myself out at his work earning a few pound and maybe has a family of his own - I don't know - something happened, something went wrong and we'd like to know what it was."

Roads Minister Conor Murphy has met with police to discuss putting fixed speed cameras on the road.

Mr Murphy said while fixed cameras could be installed in the future, the police should continue to carry out mobile checks.

"I want us to get together with the PSNI and DOE who have responsibility for road safety and get whatever measures are needed in the interim," he said.

"It is a dangerous stretch of the road, it does suffer from driver behaviour, from speed.

"A police presence can be put on that road in the immediate term and certainly, if fixed cameras are part of the solution, we can put them on as quickly as we can."

Chief Inspector Ken Pennington said the PSNI had mounted 35 operations in that area since the start of the year.

He said installing fixed speed cameras was just one option.

"We also consistently deploy our speed camera van, which is exactly the same technology, into that area and we also deploy laser hand held speed detection devices," he added.

The accident happened on a road notorious for accidents

The crash happened as the bus turned into St Mary's Primary School in Cabragh.

Nicola's nine-year-old cousin, Gráinne Mallon, remains critically ill following the accident. Her nine-year-old brother and three other cousins were also on the bus.

The girls' uncle, Martin Mallon, said the families were close and comforting each other.

"The family has come through a lot of stuff over the years - they all stick together and they are strong," he said.

Father Pat Hannigan spent several hours with Grainne's family at the Royal Victoria Hospital and said they were trying to remain strong.

"They were hopeful, they were optimistic but quietly so," he said.

The driver of the lorry, who was arrested after the accident, has since been released by police.