A minute’s silence for three people killed, and a fourth seriously injured in a crash in the south of Spain, was held at a Westmeath County Council meeting on Monday night. Those who died, all from Mullingar, had been named locally as Mark McCullagh, his partner, Michaela Newcombe and Amy McCullagh.Mark McCullagh’s brother, Ian, who was Amy McCullagh’s husband, was taken to hospital following the crash, which happened near the city of Malaga in the early hours of Sunday.Local Sinn Féin Cllr Julie McCourt said there had been “solidarity in the sadness” of the council members as they paused before their scheduled meeting in the evening to think of those who died, their family and friends.“It’s devastating for everyone ... but in particular for those close to them, their families, close friends, the people they hung out with,” she said.“I have a daughter away myself. And to get a call like that would shatter my life and it must be especially difficult for the families when the tragedy is making such headlines here, and probably across Europe too.”Fianna Fáil Minister of State at the Department of Finance Robert Troy is a TD for the area. He said that of the three families affected, two were from Mullingar and a third from a small village not far from the town. “I know one family particularly well ... It’s an horrendous call to have to receive,” he said. Independent Cllr Michael Dollard said it would take “a long time” for the people of Mullingar to “understand how three young lives can be taken away so quickly, especially people away on holiday”.It is understood that Amy McCullagh was a healthcare assistant who worked at Mullingar hospital. Michaela Newcombe worked as a receptionist in a beauty salon in Mullingar town, which remained closed as tributes were paid online to her as a “kind, caring, beautiful soul”. In a succession of warm tributes posted on the business’s social media page, customers described her as a woman with a “heart of gold” and with “a kind word for everyone she would meet”.One of those paying tribute said she was “devastated to hear about Michaela ... She will be a huge loss.”Fr Norman Allred, a priest based in Mullingar, said it was “a heartbreaking day” for the community.“The parish is holding everybody close in prayer ... and we’re ready to help family members, help friends, help anyone who needs prayer and condolence at this time and through these next several days,” he told RTÉ.