A fundraiser set up on Monday evening to help repatriate the victims of the awful M6 crash has raised over €50,000 in less than 12 hours.
Karzan Sabah, his wife Shahen Qasm and their eight month old daughter Lina, who were originally from Kurdistan in north Iraq, died in the three car crash last Thursday
Polish driver Jonasz Lach also died in the crash. It's believed he was driving in the wrong direction at speed westbound on the M6 when the horror crash that claimed four lives happened.
Devastated relatives of Karzan, Shahen and baby Lina arrived in Ireland yesterday to identify their bodies and arrange their repatriation to their native Kurdistan.
And in order to assist them with funds, a fundraiser was set up on Monday evening via GoFundMe - with an overwhelming response seeing over €55,000 donated in less than 12 hours.
John Carey, who organised the fundraiser, said: "Our friend and colleague Karzan, along with his wife Shahen and their 9 month old baby Lina were cruelly taken from the world.
"We were all left devastated, heartbroken and confused by such a senseless loss. Their lives were only just beginning, with Karzan having just submitted his PhD thesis, secured a new job, and of course the unbridled joy of Lina being born.
"They were so happy. The only small comfort we have is knowing that they are still together.
"We now desperately want to repatriate them back to their families in Erbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq so that they can be close to their loved ones. It would have meant a great deal to Karzan and Shahen.
"You would not have meet two nicer people, who loved Ireland and touched the lives of those they met. Many of us didn't get to meet Lina, and she never got to meet her family in Iraq. The shortness of her life is particularly difficult to understand. The least we can do is try and get them home so that they can find some peace.
"Please give what little you can, and we can try and bring some sense of comfort to those people affected by this awful tragedy. The more we raise, the easier it will be for their families.
"Our sincerest thanks from all their friends at NUI Galway and the Kurdish community across Ireland."
You can access the GoFundMe page here,
