Goa rape and murder: Tears mark Ireland vigil for 28-year-old | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Goa rape and murder: Tears mark Ireland vigil for 28-year-old

Hindustan Times, London | By
Mar 23, 2017 12:26 AM IST

The body of an Irish and British dual national who was found dead in Goa was on way to her home in Ireland on Wednesday as hundreds of friends and family paid tributes at a candlelight vigil held in the seaside town of Buncrana in County Donegal, Ireland.

The body of an Irish and British dual national who was found dead in Goa was on way to her home in Ireland on Wednesday as hundreds of friends and family paid tributes at a candlelight vigil held in the seaside town of Buncrana in County Donegal, Ireland.

Workers prepare to shift to the airport the body of a female Irish tourist that was found last week on an isolated beach near Canacona village from the medical college morgue, in Bambolim, near Panaji, western Goa state, India, Wednesday, March 22, 2017.(AP Photo)
Workers prepare to shift to the airport the body of a female Irish tourist that was found last week on an isolated beach near Canacona village from the medical college morgue, in Bambolim, near Panaji, western Goa state, India, Wednesday, March 22, 2017.(AP Photo)

The 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin was found murdered near the Palolem beach in Goa on March 14.

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Her murder highlighted growing concern over safety in the popular holiday destination, where many foreign nationals have reportedly died .

A crowd-funding campaign to raise 10,000 Euros to meet the repatriation and funeral expenses reached over 39,600 Euros as a wave of gloom and despair swept over her hometown. The murder relived similar incidents for the kin of foreign nationals who died in Goa in the past, including the 2008 murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling.

The woman’s kin used the vigil to call for justice for their daughter and sister. The mother of the deceased did not attend the event but the family issued a statement.

The spokesman for the vigil told the mourners: “We call for justice from the Indian legal system and appeal to the authorities for a full, diligent, transparent and open investigation into all aspects of this crime and have real faith that with their help full justice will be served and the truth known which will provide some small comfort to the
family.”

On memorial cards distributed were smiling pictures of the woman with some of the last words she left on her Facebook account: “I am very grateful and the luckiest person I know....off on another adventure.”

One of McLaughlin’s younger sisters, Sian, said: “She was one of the kindest person you could ever meet. She told me once that you could do a lot of acts of kindness but it is no longer an act of kindness if you tell someone”.

Christy Duffy, friend of the deceased who organised the crowd-funding effort, said everyone had gathered with one common goal: “(We) are here to say goodbye, goodbye to an eternal optimist, goodbye to a comedian, goodbye to an adventurer, goodbye to a beautiful soul, goodbye to our friend...”

Goa is one of the most popular destinations for British and other western tourists. Over the years, there have been many deaths due to alcohol and drug abuse or due to strong currents in the sea. Britain’s foreign office has a separate section on its India travel advice on Goa.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from India’s north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999.

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