Man (40s) dies in 'tragic accident' on Cape Clear

Olivia Kelleher

A man in his 40s has died following an incident at Cape Clear Island in West Cork.

It is understood the man was playing football with members of his family on Saturday afternoon when their ball went over the cliff.

The man went to the foot of the cliffs to retrieve the ball. However, he failed to return and a family member raised the alarm.

A search and rescue operation was launched involving the Irish Coast Guard helicopter and Baltimore's RNLI lifeboat.The man's body was subsequently recovered during the search.

His remains were taken to Baltimore RNLI station where he was pronounced dead. It is understood the man is from Co Cork.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out at Cork University Hospital to determine the cause of death.

The incident is being treated as a tragic accident.

In a statement, Baltimore RNLI said they were requested to launch on Saturday at 8.10pm by Valentia Coast Guard following reports that a person was in the water off Cape Clear in West Cork.

"Both the all-weather and inshore lifeboats were launched, and a person was taken from the water and brought onboard the inshore lifeboat, by lifeboat crew.

"They returned to the Baltimore lifeboat station, before transferring the person into the care of emergency services," the statement added.