A teenager has died after getting into difficulty in the sea off the Co. Antrim coast despite the efforts of his friends to try and save him.
A major incident was declared near Dunluce Castle, in the Bushmills area, just after 5pm on Tuesday.
Coastguard teams from Coleraine and Ballycastle as well as the Portrush lifeboat, a rescue helicopter from Scotland and the ambulance service were sent to the scene.
Judith McNiece, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, told BBC Radio Ulster that the victim’s friends made “valiant” efforts to try and rescue him.
“I’m sure it will be extremely upsetting for them but they can take some comfort in the fact that they did everything they could for their friend.”
Station officer with Coleraine coastguard, Alistair Simpson, said the teenager was “in the water and unconscious.”
“He was recovered to the beach at White Rocks where he received medical attention from the ambulance service assisted by coastguard rescue team members and sadly the teenager was declared deceased at the scene,” he told BBC Radio Foyle.
Three other teenagers were still in the water around the base of the cliffs, and one had minor injuries. All three were rescued safely.
The victim is believed to have been in his late teens and was not from the area, Mr Simpson said.
He said the group had been what is known as “coasteering” - making their way around the rocks at the base of the cliffs and jumping off them into the sea - when they got into difficulties.
“It’s very tragic for their friends and family,” he said. “Local people were very shocked and saddened. Sadly this sort of thing does happen occasionally in this part of the world, but it’s always a tragedy when it does.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said police were investigating the circumstances around the teenager’s death but it was not being treated as suspicious.
