Death of boy (9) at Donegal quarry investigated

Gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority are investigating an incident yesterday in which a nine-year-old boy was killed at a quarry in Co Donegal.

The boy died after a load of crushed stone collapsed on top of him near Annagry at around 6pm. It is understood he was helping his father, an oil merchant, during the delivery of fuel to the quarry.

The boy was named locally as Joseph McDevitt, son of Willie and Anne McDevitt, McDevitt oil company, of Meenacrieve, Annagry.

The owner of the quarry was treated in hospital in Letterkenny last night for a leg injury, understood to have been sustained when he tried to shield the child from falling rubble.

A postmortem on the dead boy is to be carried out today at Letterkenny General Hospital.

The death is the fifth in a quarry this year. Two men died in separate accidents in Co Donegal, while incidents in Wexford and Tipperary resulted in the deaths of two other men.

There were no deaths in 2004.

Last week, the HSA held a Quarry Safety Week,  during which it was to carry out a program of 120 inspections and a poster safety campaign to reduce the level of fatal and serious injuries.

A HSA spokesman would not confirm whether or not the quarry where the boy died had been inspected during this safety campaign.

The HSA says the major causes of fatalities in the sector include moving vehicles, particularly those reversing or operating in tight corners, as well as fixed machinery, maintenance activities and falls from a height. A national quarry safety conference is to be held in Athlone next month.