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A four-year-old boy has died in a farm accident in Co Fermanagh. It is thought the child, named locally as Thomas Magee, died in an incident involving a piece of farm machinery at Maguiresbridge on Thursday at about 8.30pm.
Insp Glen Latimer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the child was pronounced dead at the scene. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland said it was investigating the circumstances
The boy is the first child to die on a farm in the North since Robert Christie (eight) died in June 2014 after being overcome by slurry fumes in Dunloy.
DUP leader and Fermanagh South Tyrone MLA Arlene Foster offered condolences to the family.
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“In the close-knit farming community of Fermanagh, news of this untimely death has caused a great deal of shock,” she said.
Local UUP MP Tom Elliott described the Magee family as “highly respected and hardworking”, and spoke of the shock and sadness in the area. Rev Mark Durrell has been providing pastoral care to the Magee family.
Members of the local community gathered at Lisbellaw, Maguiresbridge and Tempo Methodist Church yesterday evening for a prayer service.