Two men lost their lives after separate incidents at sea off the Irish coast today.
The fishing village of Dunmore East in Co Waterford was plunged into mourning with the death of a local man at sea six years to the day after five men lost their lives in another fishing tragedy.
Johnny Flynn, a 43-year-old single man from Marian Terrace in Dunmore East, died after he and his friend James Tate were thrown into the water when their 16ft boat capsized at about 5.30am off Brownstown Head near Tramore.
Separately, a Spanish fisherman with serious injuries died at Cork University Hospital after being airlifted from a trawler 120 miles off Loop Head on the west coast of Ireland earlier today. He is as yet unnamed.
In the Dunmore East incident, both men were wearing lifejackets but only Mr Tate managed to make it ashore, where he climbed over rocks and crossed sand dunes before managing to raise the alarm at about 7.45am. A major search operation was then launched.
The Irish Coast Guard Sikorski helicopter, Rescue 117, was scrambled from Waterford Airport and both Dunmore East RNLI Lifeboat, the 'Elizabeth and Ronald',
and the Tramore RNLI inshore boat were also launched in response to the emergency.
The Coast Guard helicopter crew located Mr Flynn in an unconscious state and winched him from the water at about 8.30am. Efforts to resuscitate him proved unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at Waterford Regional Hospital.
The fishing village of Dunmore East in Co Waterford was today plunged into mourning with the death of a local man at sea six years to the day after five men lost their lives in another fishing tragedy.
Mr Tate, who is in his 40s and originally from Ballycotton in East Cork, was taken to hospital suffering from shock and hypothermia but was later discharged. The men’s boat was also recovered and brought back to Dunmore East.
A Marine Casualty Investigation Board spokeswoman confirmed a full investigation will take place into the tragedy. Gardaí have also begun an inquiry with a view to preparing a file on Mr Flynn’s death for a coroner’s inquest.
Former local councillor and retired fisherman Geoff Power said the tragedy was a great shock to the local community - particularly given it had happened on the sixth anniversary of another tragedy in the area, when the Pere Charles had sunk with the loss of five lives.
"People are very saddened by what happened today with poor Johnny Flynn - it’s another tragedy for Dunmore East, and I suppose the fact that it comes on the sixth anniversary of the Pere Charles reminds us again how dangerous the sea can be," he said.
In the Loop Head incident, Valentia Coastguard scrambled its Shannon-based helicopter after a Spanish-registered vessel reported a 54-year-old crewman had suffered serious head injuries.
The crew arrived at the boat at approximately 11am and winched the man on board. However, he was in a critical condition and died later in hospital of his injuries.