This article is from page 3 of the 2007-07-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A MAN died on Sunday after he was washed into the sea while fishing at a notoriously dangerous location near Doonbeg where as many as I1 lives have been lost in the past.
The Moldovan national had trav- elled from Limerick along with three friends to go fishing at the Blue Pool between Kilkee and Doonbeg. It 1s thought that he was washed from the rocks by a rogue wave. His body was recovered at around 3pm by mem-
bers of the Kilkee Rescue Unit.
Gardai have confirmed that they are treating the incident as an accident.
The alarm was raised after two of the four men had returned to Lim- erick. They are understood to have gone to Henry Street Garda station to report the incident prompting a search and rescue operation. Gardai say, however, that they do not believe that there is anything sinister in this and said the men returned to Kilkee Fiore
A Garda spokesman confirmed,
“We are treating this incident as a tragic accident. We have spoken to several eyewitnesses who were at the scene as well as the victim’s friends.”
When the alarm was originally raised at 12.45pm an exact location was not known So rescue crews could only stand by waiting for further in- formation. Shortly before 3pm, Kil- kee Marine Rescue Unit was scram- bled to the Blue Pool just south of Doonbeg where they quickly located the body of a man.
The body was later taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick where a post mortem ex- amination was carried out yesterday (Monday).
Water Safety Development Of- ficer for Clare County Council, Liam Griffin, has again warned about the dangers of the Blue Pool.
“This 1s a very dangerous location and has been for many years. Several lives have been lost at the Blue Pool in the past. We have erected signs at the location and have repeatedly
advised people to avoid the area be- cause of the dangers there.”
Last November, a 27 year-old man died in front of his wife and child When he was swept into the sea while fishing at the same location. The Latvian man had been living in Athlone and had travelled to the Blue Pool with his wife and eight year-old son when he was washed into the sea before their eyes. Last week, a Hungarian student died tragically af- ter falling from the Cliffs of Moher while taking photographs.