Farm death leaves community in shock

Image caption, Police remain at the farm where the incident happened
  • Author, Claire Graham
  • Role, 大象传媒 News NI

A man in his 70s has died and two other people have been injured following an incident at a farm in County Londonderry.

Police said the incident, which was not being treated as suspicious, happened in the Cullyrammer Road outside Garvagh on Thursday .

大象传媒 News NI understands workmen were working at a silo pit wall when the accident happened.

It is believed a father and son were involved and that the man who was killed was not the farmer.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it dispatched three emergency crews to the scene and the two injured men were taken to hospital.

One of the men was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and the other was taken by road to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.

Image caption, The DUP's Michelle Knight-McQuillan says the community is in shock

Democratic Unionist Party councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan said the community in Garvagh was shocked.

鈥淎 black cloud has come over the community here today with this accident,鈥 Ms Knight-McQuillan said.

鈥淭his is a rural and tight-knit community and like most farming communities, everybody knows everybody.

鈥淭he community will undoubtedly rally around the families of the bereaved and the those injured.鈥

Sinn F茅in councillor Sean Bateson has also expressed his condolences and said the incident "has shocked the entire community".

鈥淚 send my sympathies to the family and friends at this very sad and difficult time," he added.

Police said officers would provide support to an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A spokesperson for the HSE said they are aware of an incident in the Garvagh area and are in attendance.