Savita Halappanavar’s father reacts to news of Ireland’s expected ‘Yes’ vote

"I have no words to express my gratitude."

The father of Savita Halappanavar has told how he is "very happy today" as Ireland looks set to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Andanappa Yalagi, a vocal supporter of the Yes campaign, thanked the Irish public as he declared they had "got justice" for Savita. He told the Hindustan Times:

“We’ve got justice for Savita. What happened to her will not happen to any other family. "I have no words to express my gratitude to the people of Irelandat this historic moment."

Savita, from India but living in Ireland with her husband Praveen, died at University Hospital Galway in 2012 after a septic miscarriage at 17 weeks. She had requested an abortion in the days before her death when it became clear that she was going to miscarry but was refused one as a heartbeat could be detected. She miscarried and died of sepsis, one week after she was admitted to hospital. His reaction comes as the official results of Friday's referendum are starting to come in and they look to confirm the landslide win for the 'Yes' side. Last night's exit polls indicated that the Irish public had voted to repeal the eighth amendment by almost 70 percent. So far, Galway East, Dublin Central, Cork South-Central, and Cork North-Central have returned their results - all in favour of 'Yes' by at least 60 percent. The results so far include: Galway East: Yes 60.2 percent, No 39.8 percent Cork South-Central: Yes 68.84 percent, No 31.16 percent Cork North-Central: Yes 64.02 percent, No 35.98 percent Wexford: Yes 88.4 percent, No 31.6 percent.