The village of Moira in Co Down has been gripped by grief following the tragic death of a one-year-old boy.
The heartbreaking events of Wednesday afternoon have left local residents and business people in a state of mourning for the next few days, one man in the village said.
Police confirmed a one-year-old boy died after a collision between two people and a lorry on Wednesday. He has been named in the Funeral Times as Frank Michael McIlduff, Belfast Live reported.
READ MORE: Moira crash: Boy, aged 1, dies and woman in her 60s 'seriously injured'
The second person involved was his grandmother, who is in hospital for serious injuries.
Frank was described as a "precious son" and "much-loved grandson."
One businessman recalled how a staff member rushed to the scene to try and assist the grandmother. He said the man has been badly affected by what he saw.
Heartbreak and silence has swept across the village following the tragic incident.
Many have said that they do not want to talk due to the pain of the incident.
One resident said: "When something like this happens, it’s sad, but it’s 100 times worse when there’s a child involved”.
A service was being held close to the site of the incident by the Rev Joanne Megarrell.
She said: "Once a couple of people came back up to the church, we had service there at one o'clock, they were making their way down Main Street.
"They could see that there was a lorry at the bottom of the Main Street, and that there had been some serious accident that occurred by the commotion that was going on.
"They immediately ran back up to the church, where I was just about to leave. They were completely traumatised and in shock. They weren't aware of exactly what had happened at that stage, but they knew it was serious."
She relayed the cloud of sadness and grief which hangs over the community, saying everyone is "traumatised" following the death of such a young boy.
The Moira Community Association is organising a fundraiser in support of the family.
It reads: “Moira Community is raising funds to support the family of the recent tragedy in our community. Your donation will help cover funeral expenses & provide financial/emotional support. Thank you for your generosity.”
DUP councillor Caleb McCready said the local community are devastated. “It’s something that we could never fathom would happen within our wee village," he said.
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“Our prayers and thoughts are with the family at this time and our prayers are that the grandmother will come through," he added.
Alliance MLA David Honeyford said it was an absolute tragedy and that his heart breaks for the family.
He added that the way the community had responded had shown the best of Moira in an obviously very tragic set of circumstances.
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Area Commander, Dermott Rooney said his thoughts and sympathies are with the loved ones of a boy who tragically lost his life and a woman who was seriously injured following an incident in the Meeting Street area of Moira yesterday, Wednesday 8 March.
"This was a very challenging incident for everyone involved and I would like to commend our Firefighters and Control Room colleagues for the professional way in which they responded to this terrible tragedy. As an organisation, we will continue to ensure they receive any necessary support," he added.
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