Investigations have begun after a man was killed while working on a wind farm.
Patrick McCaffrey (37) from Rossinver, Co Leitrm died on Monday evening after a landslide on a mountain bog on the Sligo-Roscommon border where groundworks for turbines were being carried out.
Gardai said the alarm was raised at about 6.30pm.
But it was several hours before the worker’s body could be recovered from the mountain as emergency services, including fire crews, were hampered due to the difficult terrain and fog.
The incident happened on part of a wind farm known as Derrysallagh which is in the initial stages of being built on Kilronan mountain near Ballyfarnon, Co Roscommon by the Kerry-based Moriarty civil engineering and construction company.
Mr McCaffrey, a married man, had been with the company for about a year.
He was on the ground and not operating any machinery when an area of bog shifted and trapped him.
A second worker was also caught up in the incident. He was in a digger when the bogland started to move but was able to climb down and walk to safety.
Moriarty Construction, which is building the wind farm, offered condolences to the dead man’s wife, family, colleagues and friends.
“It’s still very fresh and very raw. We don’t know all the circumstances but unfortunately a man has died and his wife has been left to pick up the pieces,” a spokesman said.
The company has not experienced any similar incidents in its previous works. It has been involved in about a fifth of the wind farms constructed in Ireland since 2003.
Investigations are under way by local gardai and the Health and Safety Authority and Moriarty said it would co-operate fully with investigations.
PA
