VICTIMS of the bin lorry crash were remembered on Christmas Day as people flocked to church services and went to the scene to pay their respects to the six who lost their lives.

 

As many Glaswegians visited the sea of floral tributes placed in the city centre, it emerged that the condition of a teenage girl injured in Monday's tragedy is improving.

The 14-year-old, the youngest victim, is in a stable condition at Glasgow Royal Infirmary while three other people also remain in hospital.

Two women aged 18 and 64, and a 57-year-old man are all now in a stable condition, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said.

Churches in the city reported unusually busy Christmas services as worshippers lit candles and said prayers in the aftermath of the crash, in which six people died and 10 were injured.

Ministers and priests found themselves both presiding over their busiest days of the year and trying to offer comfort to congregations struggling to come to terms with such carnage in the city centre.

The Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow said in his sermon: "People do ask me whether it is hard to speak of the love of God when difficult things happen.

"It is sometimes hard to find the right words but the truth is, the love of God coming to illuminate the darkest of times is what we always celebrate at Christmas, no matter what year we are in and no matter what has happened.

"The light comes into the world. That is the truth we gather here to proclaim right at the darkest time of year."

Six people died when the council truck mounted the pavement before crashing into the side of the Millennium Hotel in George Square.

They were 18-year-old Erin McQuade and her grandparents Jack and Lorraine Sweeney, from Dumbarton; primary teacher Stephenie Tait and tax worker Jacqueline Morton, both from Glasgow, and Gillian Ewing, from Edinburgh.

Speaking his service, Mr Holdsworth confirmed church attendance had been higher since the events of George Square.

He said: "At each of our festival services people have been speaking of the sadness that has come to the city this Christmas.

"At every service people have been speaking to me about what it was like to be in Queen Street when the tragedy was unfolding.

"It is also significant that all the services that we've had this week have had increased numbers.

"People have been saying that they want to come together to pray and stand in solidarity with those who grieve and those who are traumatised.

"It is said that people make Glasgow and this Christmas we are once again seeing the people of Glasgow joining together, united in love for one another."

On Christmas Eve, festive lights across the country were turned off as a mark of respect for the dead and injured, after 72,000 people signed up to a Facebook campaign asking participants to switch off their decorations at 9pm and hold a two-minute silence to reflect on the tragedy.

The carnival rides in George Square, which have been shut since the tragedy, will reopen today.