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A fund to help the family of an Irish nurse killed in Australia has reached more than €70,000 in 24 hours.
Mary Ellen Molloy, from Ardara, Co Donegal, was killed when a tree fell on a car she was travelling in in Melbourne on Friday.
The 26-year-old went to Australia 16 months ago and was working in the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Ms Molloy was from a well-known GAA family. Her uncle is Donegal's former All-Ireland winning GAA captain and current Fianna Fáil county councillor Anthony Molloy.
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Ms Molloy's local GAA club in Melbourne, St Kevin's GAC, organised a GoFundMe page for Ms Molloy's family and the families of her two friends Sarah Fitzpatrick and Aoife Sheridan, who were also in the car, which is believed to have been a taxi.
Ms Fitzpatrick was injured while Ms Sheridan escaped unhurt. Both women are also members of St Kevin’s GAC.
Donations
The fund has received donations from around the world. Appealing for donations, a spokeswoman for the club said: “On the 20th of December three of our club members of St Kevin’s GAC were involved in a horrific car accident in Melbourne, Australia.
“The three girls work as nurses together and are close friends. We are devastated to learn that Mary Ellen Molloy has lost her life, Sarah Fitzpatrick has been injured and requires surgery and fortunately Aoife Sheridan has been unharmed.
“We are setting up this page to assist the families in this heartbreaking time. The funds will go towards supporting the families and to help alleviate the financial pressure.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the girls and their families.”
Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to repatriate Ms Molloy’s remains.
Her parents, Terence and Angela Molloy, and her brothers, John and Karl, are being comforted by family and friends.
A full investigation is being carried out by Australian police into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
One theory being examined is that the large part of the tree which fell on the car may have been very dry because of Australia’s recent record-breaking dry period.