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28th August 2023
03:32pm BST
A man and woman found dead in their car after it became submerged in flood water in Liverpool have been named locally as a married couple.
Emergency services rushed to rescue the pair from the vehicle around 9.20pm Saturday after it had driven into a flooded area in Queens Drive, between North Mossley Hill Road and Dovedale Road, Merseyside Police said.
The pair were freed from their Mercedes Class 180 and taken to hospital but both were pronounced dead.
The next of kin have been informed and a file passed to the coroner, police said.
Media reports on Monday named the pair as married couple Philip and Elaine Marco.
Paying tribute to the couple, one friend said, according to MailOnline: 'Terrible tragedy with the passing of our dear friends, Philip & Elaine Marco. May Hashem heal the torn hearts of their children and grandchildren. A huge loss to our community.'
Another, reported by the Liverpool Echo, said: "Baruch Dayan HaEmet. My thoughts and prayers are with their family and the whole community."
Residents in Mossley Hill say the flooding, thought to have happened following a burst pipe, caused 15ft of water to build. Liverpool, along with surrounding areas, was subject to a yellow weather warning, The Mirror reported.
Now, police are appealing for witnesses after the black Mercedes Class 180 got into difficulty at around 9.20pm.
Rebecca Wilson was travelling along the road on Saturday and told Liverpool Echo she thought she saw a submerged car. The 27-year-old said: "We went to turn around the car and all of a sudden it looked like a waterfall coming down from the side of the bridge. As I looked back out of the window I turned to my mates and told them I thought I had just seen red lights under the water and I thought maybe someone had become stuck. I rang the police just to be safe."
Wilson said the water "just came out of nowhere" and was "terrifying."
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Dalton, of Merseyside Police, said: “Our thoughts go out to the family of the man and woman who sadly lost their lives in this tragic incident, despite the best efforts of passing members of the public, our officers and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services at the scene."
Dalston said police are still trying to "establish the circumstances of this tragic incident".
He said road closures remain in place as "we continue with this investigation and motorists are advised to avoid the road."
Dalton urged anyone who was on Queens Drive, between North Mossley Hill Road and Dovedale Road at around 9.20pm and saw the accident, or who stopped to try and help or anyone who had any dashcam footage from their car "to come forward as soon as possible."
He added: "Similarly, if you live in the area and have any doorbell or CCTV footage from last night please share this with us. Thank you for your patience whilst we deal with this tragic incident."
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call the Matrix Roads Policing Unit on (0151) 777 5747 or contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook quoting reference 23000807137.
