Woman's body discovered beside car after arson attack
On Saturday afternoon the fire service dealt with a car fire and discovered the body of a woman
A 'tranquil' rural community in Co Tyrone has been left 'horrified and distressed' after a woman's body was found following an arson attack on a car.
The remains were discovered in the Rylagh Road area of Omagh on Saturday.
The name of the deceased has not yet been revealed, but the victim is locally understood to be a woman.
Independent councillor Josephine Deehan said the 'tranquil' rural community have been left 'horrified and distressed'.
On Saturday afternoon the fire service dealt with a car fire and discovered the body of a woman
News in 90 Seconds - Monday, August 4th
"There is very distressing news from Omagh over the weekend and sadly appears to be that a woman has lost her life in a fire, which involved a car in the Rylagh Road,' said the Omagh representative.
"As this tragedy unfolds, our main thoughts are with the family and friends of the woman at this time, in lieu of the horrific circumstances of this woman's death.
"They are in our thoughts and prayers.
"Our community is deeply shocked, that this has happened in a tranquil rural area.
"We don't know the full detail surrounding the case. Police are confident they are dealing with arson.
"I hope that we will have answers soon for the family in particular, and the community who are horrified and distressed.
"It is a very tragic situation, and police are appealing to the public for any information.'
PSNI officers and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene shortly after 2pm on Saturday, where they found a silver Mitsubishi Lancer GS2 on fire. The blaze was extinguished by the fire service.
Police have said they are treating the fire as arson and are working to ascertain how the victim came to be next to the burning car.
'As fire officers extinguished the blaze they discovered that, tragically, a person had died as a result of the fire,' said Detective Inspector Keon.
'We are treating this fire as arson, and our enquiries as to how the person came to be beside the vehicle are ongoing.
'We would appeal to anyone who may have been in the area between midday and 2.15pm yesterday, who may have noticed anything suspicious, to contact us.
'We would be particularly keen to hear from anyone who had dashcam or other footage and would also like to hear from anyone who may have noticed this particular vehicle.'
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