An Irish couple were just three days into a holiday given to them by their children as a 25th wedding anniversary present when they were killed in a road traffic accident on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, it emerged yesterday.
Mattie (49) and Margaret O'Sullivan (48) had been given the present of a holiday in Santa Ponsa by their children, Claire, Kieran and Susan.
They were holidaying on the island with Mr O'Sullivan's brother Finbarr, and his wife Kathleen, when the accident happened.
The couple, from Newtown in Bantry, west Cork, were walking back to their hotel at about 1am on Wednesday, having dined at a restaurant in Santa Ponsa.
While crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing, they were hit by a car which failed to stop.
It is understood that Mrs O'Sullivan died at the scene of the accident, while Mr O'Sullivan was rushed to a local hospital where he died several hours later.
A 27-year-old Englishwoman, Josephine Wallis - who has been living on Mallorca for a number of years - was arrested later by Spanish police and is due to appear in court shortly in connection with the double fatality.
Ms Wallis will face an investigating judge who will decide what charges she will face under Spanish law.
Police said yesterday she is likely to be charged with causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Ms Wallis was allegedly at the wheel of a blue Lancia car which struck Mr and Mrs O'Sullivan at speed, with witnesses reporting seeing the female driver of the car raising her hands to her face before speeding off.
Police were quickly on the scene and found a licence plate from the car. Their efforts in locating the driver were helped by a local man, who contacted them on seeing a car with a smashed windscreen driving nearby shortly afterwards.
In Bantry, where the couple ran a popular guesthouse, news of the double tragedy was greeted with immense sadness.
The parish priest, Fr John O'Donovan, described their deaths as "a terrible blow to the family and to the community".
"The only word I can use to describe the feeling here today is numbness - it's hard to believe - it's an awful shock for their three children, but it has also come as a terrible shock to the community - everybody's thoughts and prayers are with the family," Fr O'Donovan said.
Cork South West Fianna Fáil TD Denis O'Donovan, a neighbour of the O'Sullivans, also spoke of the grief which greeted the news of the double tragedy, as the harrowing details of the event in Santa Ponsa began to filter back.
"It's an awful tragedy for the town.
"We've had our ups and our downs in the past in Bantry, in terms of one parent being killed in tragedies, but for both parents to die is a bit unbelievable - there's an awful sense of gloom about Bantry at the moment," he said.
