A woman had reportedly gone to withdraw money from a cash machine moments before her daughter and parents were killed in the Glasgow bin lorry tragedy.

Jacqueline McQuade saw the aftermath of the crash which killed six people including 18-year-old daughter Erin McQuade and parents Jack and Lorraine Sweeney.

The victims of the runaway council truck - which veered on to the pavement and drove up to 300 yards out of control before crashing into the side of a city centre hotel - will be remembered at a special church service today.

Primary school teacher Stephenie Tait, 29, and Jacqueline Morton, 51, from Glasgow and Gillian Ewing, 52, from Edinburgh were also killed.

Another 10 people, including the driver, were injured.

The Archbishop of Glasgow has revealed he tried to comfort the woman who had seen her teenage daughter and both her parents "killed almost right in front of her" in the tragedy.

A memorial mass is taking place at the city's St Andrew's Cathedral this lunchtime for the six people who died.

"On the evening of the tragedy, I was privileged to be permitted to spend some time with one of the families who had been cruelly devastated by the incident," he said.

"I was able to witness and share the grief and sadness of a mother and of a father for their daughter, and of two daughters for their mother and father.

"The distressed woman to whom I was speaking had seen her daughter and her own parents killed almost right in front of her. Can you imagine the horror?

"I tried to console them and comfort them. We spoke and we cried and we were silent before the abyss of their loss and the random meaninglessness of what had happened.

"They openly spoke of their faith, but their faith was sorely tried, and I commended them silently to god that the Lord would find the way to bring them comfort."

The Archbishop said the city is in mourning:

A £60,000 (around €77,000) council fund for the relatives of those killed will be open to the public for donations.

Tributes

Paying tribute to the victims at the scene of the disaster on Monday, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the tragedy had left the city "broken-hearted".

"This city will pull together to support those who have been affected, not just in the days ahead but in the weeks and months to come," she said.

The driver and five others remain in hospital, with one patient said to be in a critical condition.

It is not yet clear what caused the driver, who has not been named, to lose control of the vehicle.

Witnesses reported seeing him slumped at the wheel as the lorry collided with pedestrians on Queen Street, before crashing into the side of the Millennium Hotel at George Square.

Hundreds of floral tributes have been laid at the site of the disaster.

Personal tributes from friends and relatives of the victims are also pouring in.

Headteacher of the Glasgow primary school where Ms Tait was a teacher, Catherine Gallagher, described her as "an excellent young teacher, dedicated to the children."

Mr Sweeney, meanwhile, was a former president of Bramalea Celtic supporters club in Canada.

The club released a statement expressing "great shock and sadness" about his death and the death of his wife and granddaughter.

Miss McQuade was a first year student of English Literature at Glasgow University. She worked at Cameron House Hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond, which described her as "one of our brightest and dedicated members of housekeeping staff".

The lorry disaster was the second major tragedy to strike Glasgow in just over 12 months.

Last November a police helicopter crashed on to the roof of a crowded pub, killing 10 people.

Originally posted at 11.02am