Just minutes from horror, as Donegal couple escapes Krakow attack

A Buncrana couple had a terrifyingly narrow escape from Saturday's deadly mass shooting in the Polish city of Krakow, having missed the attack by just minutes after deciding to return to their hotel to charge a mobile phone.

Margaret and Michael Kerrigan, who have been enjoying a holiday in the popular tourist destination since Wednesday, could easily have found themselves caught up in the horrific incident which has left at least six people dead and 15 others injured.

The couple had intended to head out for something to eat in the city centre shortly before the shooting unfolded.

However, Margaret's decision to recharge her phone after a morning spent taking photographs during a trip to the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine excursion changed everything.

Speaking to the Inishowen Independent from their hotel on Saturday evening, Margaret explained how they had returned from their tour and were preparing to head out again when she asked Michael if they could delay their plans by half an hour.

“I said to him, you know what, can we leave in half an hour or so? I want to charge up my phone because it had gone down a bit with taking photographs and what have you,” she explained.

Michael, a well-known taxi driver in Buncrana, agreed, and the couple remained in their hotel room as emergency services suddenly began converging on the nearby area.

“We were probably only a few minutes away from going out when it all kicked off,” Margaret said.

“We could hear all these sirens and I said they sounded quite close to us. My husband said they did too.”

The first indication of the horrifying events came when Michael received a message from his cousin in Dublin, who had seen reports of the shooting on social media and wanted to make sure the Buncrana couple were safe.

When the Kerrigans looked out of their hotel bedroom window, the shocking reality became clear. The attack had happened right at the end of their street, just a few hundred yards from where they were staying.

“If I hadn't have said I was going to charge my phone, we would have been up there. We would have been in the middle of it,” Margaret said. “We would have been walking about or eating somewhere in the Square.”

Margaret said that when they eventually ventured downstairs, the hotel building had been locked from the inside as a precaution, although guests could leave if they wished.

Outside, they encountered heavily armed police officers, with one carrying what Margaret described as a large machine gun.

The officer asked where they were going and, after explaining they were looking for somewhere to eat, the couple were directed towards the lower end of the street, away from the cordoned-off crime scene.

They found much of the surrounding area deserted, with restaurants, bars and other businesses closed.

“It's just horrendous,” Margaret said. “It's awful. You just wouldn't believe it.”

The couple have been inundated with messages this evening from worried family and friends back home since news of the attack emerged.

They are due to fly home tomorrow evening, Sunday, and are hoping to leave for the airport early, with little prospect of enjoying any more sightseeing following the events.

The shooting unfolded on Saturday afternoon in Krakow's historic Main Market Square, one of the city's busiest tourist attractions and a popular gathering place for visitors and locals.

A 24-year-old Polish man drove into the square and opened fire indiscriminately on people in the area. Six people – four women and two men – were killed, while 15 others were injured, including two police officers.

The suspect was shot and wounded by police during an exchange of gunfire a short distance from the initial attack and was taken to hospital. Police said he had acted alone and that the public was no longer in danger.