A second man has died in hospital this evening after an internal wall collapsed at a garden centre in Longford.
The incident was reported to the emergency services at 2.15pm. An internal 12m (40ft) high wall collapsed and trapped five men at the Connacht Gold DIY and Garden Centre off the Athlone Road.
A 47-year-old man was killed instantly when the wall collapsed. A third man is being treated in hospital for serious injuries.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) have inspectors on the scene in a bid to establish how the wall came down and whether the structure of the building is safe. Traffic diversions are in place.
The DIY centre opened in April last year.
Speaking from the scene of the accident, Connacht Gold chief executive Aaron Forde said his thoughts and prayers were with the families of the two men.
“With further sad news that a second visitor to our Connacht Gold store in Longford has now passed away following an accident at the store today, the board, management and staff of Connacht Gold Co-op expresses deepest sympathy to the families. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.
“We express our sympathy and our support to the other visitors and employees who suffered injury as a result of the accident. We are also providing counselling to those visitors and employees in the store who were affected by this accident.
“Safety is a primary concern for Connacht Gold and we are working in every way with the emergency services, the gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority in establishing the cause of the accident. Connacht Gold opened the store in the leased premises just over nine months ago. We await the outcome of the official investigations into this tragic accident."