One man has died and a second person has been rescued following an incident in West Clare this afternoon.
The alarm was raised at around 3.15pm when emergency services received a report that a person had fallen into the sea from a cliff at Dunlicky, southwest of Kilkee. It’s understood the victim was fishing with another man at the time. An onlooker who witnessed the incident unfold called emergency services.
A search and rescue operation was quickly mounted by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre in Co Kerry. The Kilkee unit of the Coast Guard was tasked along with the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter. The National Ambulance Service and Gardaí were also alerted.
Kilkee Coast Guard volunteers launched their rescue boat and made their way to the scene while other members travelled to the location by road. It’s understood that the rescue boat was delayed from launching by a number of people swimming close to the slipway.
Rescue 115 carried out a search of the area and soon located the man and recovered him from the water. However, efforts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful and he was formally pronounced dead at the scene. The man is understood to be aged in his 50s.
The victim’s body was removed to University Hospital Kerry in Tralee where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed: “Gardaí and emergency services attended an incident at Kilkee Cliff Walk in Co. Clare this afternoon. A man aged in his 50s was removed from the water by the Coast Guard. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. His body has been removed to University Hospital Kerry.”
Meanwhile, a second person, believed to have climbed down the rocks to help the casualty, was found stranded on a cliff edge and unable to climb back to safety. He was spotted by the helicopter crew who alerted ground teams. An operation was then mounted to rescue him.
Kilkee Coast Guard volunteers managed to get a rope down to the man and secured him while additional resources were requested to attend.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Kilkee and Kilrush stations were then mobilised to assist in that rescue operation. Fire crews, specially trained in line-rescue operations, were deployed and were able to secure a second rope onto the casualty.
Once the man was secure, the helicopter crew moved into position and airlifted him from the ledge and landed nearby where paramedics were waiting to assess him. The man is not believed to have been seriously injured.
The Doolin and Ballybunion units of the Coast Guard were also tasked but stood down en route when it was confirmed that man had been successfully rescued.
Soon afterwards, while emergency services were returning to their respective stations following the initial incident, they were alerted to an emergency on the beach in Kilkee.
Kilkee Fire Service, Kilkee Coast Guard and the National Ambulance Services responded to reports that a young child had ingested water. On arrival at the scene, it was soon established that the toddler had suffered a seizure. The child was assessed by paramedics before being removed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for further treatment.