Update: The victims have been named as Philip and Fergus Brophy from Co Laois.
Two men had died following a diving tragedy in Co Tipperary.
The incident is understood to have occurred at around 1.30pm at a quarry near Portroe. The pair had been diving at the popular dive location when they got into difficulty.
The pair, who were in their 30s and 40s, are believed to be brothers from Co Laois. They were diving in the flooded quarry at Corbally a short distance from Portroe village.
The circumstances of the tragedy are under investigation however it’s understood one of the men got into difficulty and the other went to assist him. He returned to the service and managed to raise the alarm but fell unconscious and died at the scene.
Gardaí and several National Ambulance Service (NAS) resources rushed to the scene while the Irish Coast Guard was also alerted.
Watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry alerted and mobilised the Killaloe unit of the service as well as the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter. Rescue 115 was stood down soon after taking off from Shannon.
Killaloe Coast Guard volunteers travelled to the scene with a rescue boat and all-terrain vehicle (ATV). They assisted with the recovery of the bodies from the scene.
The men’s bodies were taken to University Hospital Limerick where post-mortem examinations will be carried out.
The quarry is a popular diving location from where a local dive centre operates. It’s understood the centre only reopened this weekend after closing last March due to Covid-19 restrictions.
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