The search for a man reported to be ‘lost’ in Co Clare has been stood down after he turned up safe and well in Co Kerry.
The man in his 30’s from Kerry is understood to have been visiting Killaloe with friends.
It’s believed he left his bed and breakfast accommodation in the early hours of the morning but lost his way. He is believed to have called a family member in Kerry to tell them he was lost close to Killaloe. Contact with the man was later lost after his phone battery died.
The man’s family contacted gardaí at Killaloe and informed them that he said he was near a wooded area. Gardaí carried out an initial search and later requested assistance from the Irish Coast Guard.
The Killaloe unit of the service mounted a search while the Shannon based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, was also placed on standby.
While the search was going on, word filtered through to search teams at around midday that the man had been located safe and well. It’s understood he had made his way to Castleisland in Co Kerry although it wasn’t clear how he got there.
Once it was confirmed it was the same man that search teams had been looking for in Clare, the search operation was stood down.
Meanwhile, a young man was airlifted to hospital after he was injured when he fell from a horse during an event in North Clare this afternoon. The accident happened near Ballyvaughan at around 1.00pm.
The man, believed to be from the Kilshanny area of the county, was treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics.
The Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) air ambulance, which had been returning from a serious incident in Co Limerick, was tasked to the scene in Ballyvaughan.
The rider was airlifted to University Hospital Galway for treatment.