A search operation has been launched after a young boy was separated from his family at the Cliffs of Moher on Tuesday.
It is believed that the family are from overseas, and had been holidaying in Ireland. A search operation was launched when the alarm was raised on Tuesday at around 2pm.
His family began to search for the child when he became separated from them, however there was no sign of the child, meaning they returned to the visitor centre and raised the alarm.
It is understood the boy fell after becoming separated from his family, while RTE reports that the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, spotted what is believed to be a body in the water at the base of the cliffs. The area was not accessible at the time with large waves breaking on the shoreline.
Gardaí were alerted while the Irish Coast Guard were also notified of the unfolding situation. A search operation was mounted by the Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre on Valentia Island in Kerry.
The search for the young child which was launched yesterday has, however, now been suspended due to dangerous conditions.
Garda Water Unit members carried out a comprehensive search of the area, however no sign of a body has been found.
Meanwhile, a Garda spokesperson has confirmed:
“Yesterday afternoon, members of An Garda Síochána, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the Irish Coast Guard and local search and rescue services responded to a report that a young boy was missing in the vicinity of the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare.
A co-ordinated search operation got underway, and resumed this morning, Wednesday 24th July 2024.
“Due to adverse weather conditions locally, the search remains paused at present. It is expected to recommence once weather conditions improve and it is safe to do so.”
The cliffs have been at the centre of tragedy in recent months, after a woman in her twenties died in a fall at the popular tourist attraction in May.
And earlier this month, County Armagh teenager Lochlann Murray died two days after falling at the cliffs, with his body located by a Civil Defence drone. His family recently sought answers as to why the Coast Guard in the area of County Clare could not recover the 17-year-old’s body, after the family were told it would take several days for a Garda sub-aqua team to carry out the operation.