The sister of a rising rugby star killed with his father and brother in a slurry tank accident has been released from hospital. Emma Spence, the sister of Ulster Rugby’s Nevin Spence, dived into the manure container, on the family farm in Hillsborough, Co Down, in a bid to help her father and two brothers after they fell in. But all four were overcome by the poisonous fumes and were unconscious by the time rescuers arrived to pull them out. Ms Spence, an acclaimed artist, was . discharged from Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital last night as relatives revealed that the three . men died trying to save each other. Nevin, 22, who was tipped as a future . international, died along with his father Noel, 52, and brother Graham, . 30, who also went into the tank on the family farm at around 6pm on Saturday night. Scroll down for video . Hospitalised: Nevin Spence's sister Emma, pictured at her art studio on the family farm, was treated for inhaling fumes from the slurry pit . A book of condolence is to be opened today at Ulster Rugby’s Ravenhill ground in Belfast, already the site of floral tributes, while the team’s RaboDirect PRO12 game on Friday in Italy against Zebre looks set to be postponed. Ulster Rugby chief executive Shane Logan said: 'It will almost certainly be postponed.' Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised. There is widespread shock at the devastating blow to the remaining family members, Essie Spence and her daughter, Laura. Shock: Professional rugby player Nevin Spence died along with his father and brother after falling into a slurry pit on the family farm . Last night the grieving relatives said: 'The families of Noel, Graham and Nevin Spence are trying very hard to come to terms with their tragic loss. 'The three men were very close to each other in life, and that love was expressed in their final moments trying to help one another.' They added: 'The family is being supported and comforted by other family members, friends and neighbours. 'Arrangements for a thanksgiving service for the three are currently under way and details will appear in the press in due course.' Emergency: Rescue teams were called to the farm shortly after 6pm on Saturday . Rescue effort: Firefighters attend the farm near Hillsborough, Co. Down, where the tragedy happened . The tragedy is thought to have occurred after Nevin’s father Noel went into the tank to try to retrieve the family dog. When they realised he was in trouble, . his three children tried to pull their father out, but were quickly . overcome by fumes from the slurry, a combination of cow manure and water . which is stored in vast tanks until it is ready to be used as . fertiliser. Firefighters were called to the family . farm, outside Hillsborough in County Down, Northern Ireland, shortly . after 6pm on Saturday. Shrine: A man places a tribute to rugby player Nevin Spence at Ulster's Ravenhill rugby ground in Belfast . Remembrance: Floral tributes to rugby player Nevin Spence are affixed to a fence at the ground . Wearing masks to protect themselves . against the fumes, they dived into the tank and managed to pull all four . out unconscious but alive. However, two of the men were . pronounced dead at the scene while the third responded to treatment but . died shortly after arriving at hospital. Disbelief: Fans left tributes at the Ulster rugby ground as they tried to come to terms with the deaths . Last night sports stars, friends and . colleagues paid tribute to Nevin, who played professional rugby union . for Ulster, and offered their condolences to his mother, Essie, 61, and . other sister, Laura, 26. The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland confirmed it was investigating the deaths. Three other people have died on Northern Ireland farms from slurry gas over the past ten years. Slurry pits emit poisonous gases such as hydrogen sulphide and ammonia, so can be dangerous if not ventilated properly. The former, a poison which attacks the . nervous system, is particularly dangerous as it disables the sense of . smell – meaning the victim cannot sense how concentrated it is. Named Young Player of the Year at the . Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association Awards last year, Nevin was a . member of the Ulster Rugby squad that reached the European Heineken Cup . final last season. He could play on the wing or as a centre and was considered a future Ireland international. The committed Christian played for Ulster Ravens, Ulster’s second team, against Munster A on Friday. He had represented Ireland at under-20 . level and was called to the Ireland training squad for the Six Nations . last year. In May he was selected for the Ireland squad ahead of a match . against the Barbarians, a touring team made up of top players from . across the world. At Ulster’s home stadium of Ravenhill, in Belfast, floral tributes were laid and his former colleagues were visibly shaken. The club’s chief executive, Shane . Logan, said Nevin was ‘a man of absolute integrity, complete . determination, great humility, a fine team player, and an all-round . exceptional individual’, adding: ‘I am deeply saddened by this tragic . news. Press conference: Ulster rugby officals, chief executive Shane Logan (left) and director of rugby David Humphreys, answer questions about the death of star player Nevin Spence . Major operation: Emergency services were still at the scene near Hillsborough, Co. Down, as night fell . Grim: Rescue workers at the scene. Two bodies were recovered from the slurry tank and a third man died shortly after arriving in hospital. At least one firefighter dived into the tank to try to save them . Scene: The family home on the farm where Nevin Spence, his brother Graham and father Noel fell into a slurry tank . Emergency: Rescue teams were called to the farm, on the outskirts of Hillsborough, Co. Down, shortly after 6pm on a Saturday night . ‘Nevin was a wonderful player but also . a wonderful person. He was well-liked by everyone who knew him and his . loss  will be deeply felt by his  teammates and everyone at Ulster . Rugby.’ Promising: Nevin Spence had a bright future ahead of him as a professional rugby player . Former Ulster team-mate Ian Humphreys . said on Twitter: ‘Devastated to hear the news about Nevin Spence and his . brother and dad. Prayers with all his family. RIP Nev, you’ll never be . forgotten.’ Irish Rugby Football Union president . Billy Glynn said Nevin was an ‘outstanding’ young player and the game . had been ‘robbed’ of a very talented young man. Other Northern Ireland sports stars also paid tribute. Former world champion boxer Barry McGuigan tweeted: ‘My deepest heartfelt sympathy to his family.’ Rory McIlroy, the world’s No.1 golfer, . wrote on Twitter: ‘Just heard the tragic news of Nevin Spence and his . family. Makes you cherish every day you have on this Earth.’ In a joint statement, Northern . Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin . McGuinness said the accident was ‘a terrible reminder to us all of the . dangers of farming life’. They added: ‘Nevin was a rising star of local rugby and... his untimely death is a blow for the game in the province.’ Harry Sinclair, president of the . Ulster Farmers’ Union, said: ‘On behalf of all our members, I would like . to extend our deepest sympathies to the family involved.’ Stunned: Golfer Rory McIlroy (left) and snooker player Mark Allen (right) led tributes to Nevin Spence . Reaction: Rory McIlroy told his followers on Twitter that the tragedy 'makes you cherish every day you have on this Earth' 'Heartfelt sympathy': Boxer Barry McGuigan offered his condolences to the Spence family . Missed: Nevin had been widely tipped to represent Ireland at international level .
Nevin Spence, 22, and brother Graham were overcome by fumes as they tried to rescue their father Noel on farm in Co. Down, Northern Ireland .
Sister Emma, who also got into difficulty, was trying to save them when she was overcome by fumes .
A book of condolence is to be opened today at Ulster Rugby’s Ravenhill ground in Belfast .
Family: 'The three men were very close to each .
other in life, and that love was expressed in their final moments trying .
to help one another'
Sportsmen Rory McIlroy and Barry McGuigan pay tribute to the rugby player .
Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson 'deeply saddened' by tragedy .
Spence played for Ulster and represented Ireland at under-20 level .
Ulster Rugby: 'Nevin was a wonderful player but also a wonderful person'
The sister of a rising rugby star killed with his father and brother in a slurry tank accident has been released from hospital. Emma Spence, the sister of Ulster Rugby’s Nevin Spence, dived into the manure container, on the family farm in Hillsborough, Co Down, in a bid to help her father and two brothers after they fell in. But all four were overcome by the poisonous fumes and were unconscious by the time rescuers arrived to pull them out. Ms Spence, an acclaimed artist, was . discharged from Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital last night as relatives revealed that the three . men died trying to save each other. Nevin, 22, who was tipped as a future . international, died along with his father Noel, 52, and brother Graham, . 30, who also went into the tank on the family farm at around 6pm on Saturday night. Scroll down for video . Hospitalised: Nevin Spence's sister Emma, pictured at her art studio on the family farm, was treated for inhaling fumes from the slurry pit . A book of condolence is to be opened today at Ulster Rugby’s Ravenhill ground in Belfast, already the site of floral tributes, while the team’s RaboDirect PRO12 game on Friday in Italy against Zebre looks set to be postponed. Ulster Rugby chief executive Shane Logan said: 'It will almost certainly be postponed.' Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised. There is widespread shock at the devastating blow to the remaining family members, Essie Spence and her daughter, Laura. Shock: Professional rugby player Nevin Spence died along with his father and brother after falling into a slurry pit on the family farm . Last night the grieving relatives said: 'The families of Noel, Graham and Nevin Spence are trying very hard to come to terms with their tragic loss. 'The three men were very close to each other in life, and that love was expressed in their final moments trying to help one another.' They added: 'The family is being supported and comforted by other family members, friends and neighbours. 'Arrangements for a thanksgiving service for the three are currently under way and details will appear in the press in due course.' Emergency: Rescue teams were called to the farm shortly after 6pm on Saturday . Rescue effort: Firefighters attend the farm near Hillsborough, Co. Down, where the tragedy happened . The tragedy is thought to have occurred after Nevin’s father Noel went into the tank to try to retrieve the family dog. When they realised he was in trouble, . his three children tried to pull their father out, but were quickly . overcome by fumes from the slurry, a combination of cow manure and water . which is stored in vast tanks until it is ready to be used as . fertiliser. Firefighters were called to the family . farm, outside Hillsborough in County Down, Northern Ireland, shortly . after 6pm on Saturday. Shrine: A man places a tribute to rugby player Nevin Spence at Ulster's Ravenhill rugby ground in Belfast . Remembrance: Floral tributes to rugby player Nevin Spence are affixed to a fence at the ground . Wearing masks to protect themselves . against the fumes, they dived into the tank and managed to pull all four . out unconscious but alive. However, two of the men were . pronounced dead at the scene while the third responded to treatment but . died shortly after arriving at hospital. Disbelief: Fans left tributes at the Ulster rugby ground as they tried to come to terms with the deaths . Last night sports stars, friends and . colleagues paid tribute to Nevin, who played professional rugby union . for Ulster, and offered their condolences to his mother, Essie, 61, and . other sister, Laura, 26. The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland confirmed it was investigating the deaths. Three other people have died on Northern Ireland farms from slurry gas over the past ten years. Slurry pits emit poisonous gases such as hydrogen sulphide and ammonia, so can be dangerous if not ventilated properly. The former, a poison which attacks the . nervous system, is particularly dangerous as it disables the sense of . smell – meaning the victim cannot sense how concentrated it is. Named Young Player of the Year at the . Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association Awards last year, Nevin was a . member of the Ulster Rugby squad that reached the European Heineken Cup . final last season. He could play on the wing or as a centre and was considered a future Ireland international. The committed Christian played for Ulster Ravens, Ulster’s second team, against Munster A on Friday. He had represented Ireland at under-20 . level and was called to the Ireland training squad for the Six Nations . last year. In May he was selected for the Ireland squad ahead of a match . against the Barbarians, a touring team made up of top players from . across the world. At Ulster’s home stadium of Ravenhill, in Belfast, floral tributes were laid and his former colleagues were visibly shaken. The club’s chief executive, Shane . Logan, said Nevin was ‘a man of absolute integrity, complete . determination, great humility, a fine team player, and an all-round . exceptional individual’, adding: ‘I am deeply saddened by this tragic . news. Press conference: Ulster rugby officals, chief executive Shane Logan (left) and director of rugby David Humphreys, answer questions about the death of star player Nevin Spence . Major operation: Emergency services were still at the scene near Hillsborough, Co. Down, as night fell . Grim: Rescue workers at the scene. Two bodies were recovered from the slurry tank and a third man died shortly after arriving in hospital. At least one firefighter dived into the tank to try to save them . Scene: The family home on the farm where Nevin Spence, his brother Graham and father Noel fell into a slurry tank . Emergency: Rescue teams were called to the farm, on the outskirts of Hillsborough, Co. Down, shortly after 6pm on a Saturday night . ‘Nevin was a wonderful player but also . a wonderful person. He was well-liked by everyone who knew him and his . loss  will be deeply felt by his  teammates and everyone at Ulster . Rugby.’ Promising: Nevin Spence had a bright future ahead of him as a professional rugby player . Former Ulster team-mate Ian Humphreys . said on Twitter: ‘Devastated to hear the news about Nevin Spence and his . brother and dad. Prayers with all his family. RIP Nev, you’ll never be . forgotten.’ Irish Rugby Football Union president . Billy Glynn said Nevin was an ‘outstanding’ young player and the game . had been ‘robbed’ of a very talented young man. Other Northern Ireland sports stars also paid tribute. Former world champion boxer Barry McGuigan tweeted: ‘My deepest heartfelt sympathy to his family.’ Rory McIlroy, the world’s No.1 golfer, . wrote on Twitter: ‘Just heard the tragic news of Nevin Spence and his . family. Makes you cherish every day you have on this Earth.’ In a joint statement, Northern . Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin . McGuinness said the accident was ‘a terrible reminder to us all of the . dangers of farming life’. They added: ‘Nevin was a rising star of local rugby and... his untimely death is a blow for the game in the province.’ Harry Sinclair, president of the . Ulster Farmers’ Union, said: ‘On behalf of all our members, I would like . to extend our deepest sympathies to the family involved.’ Stunned: Golfer Rory McIlroy (left) and snooker player Mark Allen (right) led tributes to Nevin Spence . Reaction: Rory McIlroy told his followers on Twitter that the tragedy 'makes you cherish every day you have on this Earth' 'Heartfelt sympathy': Boxer Barry McGuigan offered his condolences to the Spence family . Missed: Nevin had been widely tipped to represent Ireland at international level .
52, and brother Graham, . 30, who also went into pit . A book of condolence is to be opened today at Ulster Rugby’s Ravenhill ground in Belfast, their tragic loss. 'The three men were very close to each other in life, and that love was expressed in their final moments trying to help to the farm shortly after 6pm on Saturday . Hillsborough, Co. Down, where the tragedy occurred after Nevin’s father Noel went into the . overcome by fumes from the slurry, a Down, Northern Ireland, shortly . after 6pm on tributes at the Ulster rugby ground as they tried tribute to Nevin, who played professional rugby committed Christian played for Ulster Ravens, Friday. He had represented Ireland at under-20 . to save them . Scene: The family home on the farm Saturday night . ‘Nevin was a wonderful player but also . a wonderful person. He was well-liked Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin . tributes to Nevin Spence . Reaction: Rory McIlroy