Garda divers yesterday recovered the body of a man in his 30s from the River Lee in Cork city after his car was spotted floating in the water by a passerby.
The man was in a dark-coloured car which plunged into the river on the Lower Glanmire Road in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A truck driver spotted the car in the water shortly before 11.30am yesterday and alerted the Garda. Three units of the Cork City Fire Service, one unit of the ambulance service and the Garda attended the scene.
A postmortem examination was expected to be carried out last night at Cork University Hospital. The car was taken to Mayfield Garda station for examination.
Gardaí are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sgt Diarmuid Sheedy from Mayfield Garda station yesterday appealed for assistance from the public.
"At some stage in the early hours of the morning the car crashed through the wall at Lower Glanmire Road and went into the water. We are appealing for any witnesses . . .who saw that car being driven on the Lower Glanmire Road to come forward."
The Lower Glanmire Road was closed to traffic for a period yesterday as emergency crews attempted to haul the vehicle out of the water. Motorists were advised to avoid the area because of lengthy traffic delays.