Ireland

Drones deployed by Coast Guard to help in search for 12-year-old boy who fell at Cliffs of Moher

Boy became separated from his family on Tuesday and is believed to have fallen from cliffs

The search for the missing boy is continuing this weekend. Photograph: Jeremy Toye
Olivia Kelleher
Sat Jul 27 2024 - 15:02

Drones are being deployed as the Irish Coast Guard continues to support a Garda operation to recover the body of a 12-year-old boy who is believed to have fallen at the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare last Tuesday.

A land, air and sea search got under way at about 2pm on Tuesday after the young boy was reported missing by his family after he became separated from them at the popular tourist destination. His relatives are understood to be visiting from overseas.

The Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Centre in Valentia is today co-ordinating searches led by volunteers from the Doolin Coast Guard Unit using drones and cliff top searching. They are being assisted by the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter R115. These searches are also being supported by other neighbouring Coast Guard Units.

The search area has focused around the Cliffs of Moher and also in the surrounding sea areas including Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. In the coming days, Coast Guard Units from Doolin, Cleggan, Inisheer, Costelloe Bay, Killaloe and Coast Guard helicopter R115 will continue to comb these areas.

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It is also understood that Civil Defence drones will search in the area following a request from An Garda Síochána.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident on July 5th Lochlann Murray (17) from Crossmaglen in Armagh died after falling from the cliffs in Clare. His body was recovered from the shoreline by members of Rockcorry Divers and the North Coast Search and Recovery after several days of searching.

A 20-year-old student from Belgium also lost her life on the cliffs in May when she stepped to one side to allow another group of tourists to pass, and lost her footing. It is understood she was a medical student who was studying in Edinburgh in Scotland. She was visiting the cliffs with three friends when the incident occurred.