Climber dies after fall in Kerry mountains

A man has died following a fall from a ridg in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks in Co Kerry.

The man, who was visiting Ireland, had been walking on the ridge between Cnoc na Peiste and The Big Gun with another man yesterday afternoon when he fell.

The alarm was raised at about 2pm and an Irish Coastguard helicopter flew a number of members of the Kerry Mountain Rescue team and a doctor close to where the climber had fallend.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was transferred by stretcher some 600m down the mountain to the Hag's Glen before being brought to Kerry General Hospital for a postmortem at about 6.30pm.

A spokesman for Kerry Mountain Rescue said conditions on the mountain were dry, windy and clear at the time of the incident.

It was the third callout for Kerry Mountain Rescue in the past two weeks.

Last Tuesday, a rock-climber was rescued in the Gap of Dunloe following a fall, while another man man was airlifted to Kerry General Hospital after collapsing while walking with his family on Torc mountain.