#rnil – Youghal RNLI in county Cork launched this evening to search for a young boy who was reported to have got into difficulty at sea while swimming off Youghal beach.
The volunteer crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard at 5.20pm. A member of the public had raised the alarm after seeing a person in the water who was making no movement.
The lifeboat helmed by Patsy O'Mahony and with crew members Jason Clohessy and Daragh Mathews on board, was on scene, east of Youghal lighthouse, within minutes.
With the tide coming in, two members of the public including a nurse who had swam out to the area where the casualty had disappeared were brought onboard the lifeboat. Several members of the public were assisting in the search along with a numbers of vessels which were in the area at the time.
The lifeboat was alerted by the crew of a fishing vessel that they had located the casualty and brought him on board their boat.
The lifeboat proceeded to the nearby vessel where both crew member Daragh Mathews and the nurse transferred and together began to administer CPR to the casualty. The lifeboat meanwhile escorted the boat to the pontoon at the new jetty in the area.
In what was a multi-agency response, the lifeboat was met at the shore by ambulance paramedics, a doctor, and first responders from the Youghal community. The casualty was airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter and was subsequently brought to Cork University hospital.
The boy was later pronounced dead.
Speaking following the tragedy, Fergus Hopkins, Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: 'This is a devastating and heartbreaking loss for this young boy's family and a terrible tragedy for the Youghal community. I wish to offer my condolences and those of Youghal RNLI to the family at this difficulty time