MEMBERS of the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team have expressed their sympathies to the family of the climber who lost his life in a devastating fall on Carrauntoohil on Saturday afternoon.
The man, aged in his 50s and understood to be from Co Clare, fell approximately 600ft from the crest of the ridge onto a ledge from Hag’s Tooth Ridge above Coimín Íochtar.
The rescue team volunteers were alerted by Killarney Gardai at 12.20pm. A full callout was initiated and the man’s body was located at approximately 1.00pm.
The Irish Coast Guard Helicopter 115 arrived from Shannon to assist but it was unable to reach the position of the casualty due to the complex nature of the terrain. The helicopter then airlifted four members of the rescue team and their equipment to the scene of the accident and a further 20 members of the rescue team were deployed on foot from Ard na Locha in the Hag’s Glen.
“A difficult recovery operation ensued, with multiple roped stretcher lowers required to safely bring the man’s body back to Ard na Locha for transfer to Lisleibane and the subsequent handover to An Garda Síochána,” rescue team spokesman Colm Burke explained.
A total of 26 team members were involved in the rescue operation which concluded at 6.00pm.
“We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time,” Mr Burke said.
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