President, politicians express sympathy to families of airmen

The President, Mrs McAleese, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, as well as embers of the Government and Opposition parties have expressed their sympathies to the families of the four members of the Air Corps who were killed in Co Waterford early yesterday morning.

A statement issued on behalf of the President said: "President McAleese has expressed her deep shock and sadness at the deaths of the crew of the Dauphin search-and-rescue helicopter which crashed in Waterford this morning. In expressing her deepest sympathy to the families and crew members the President said that the deaths of these courageous young men in a tragic manner had reminded us all of the great risks taken by the Air Corps search-and-rescue teams in saving the lives of others, regardless of the personal risks involved for themselves.

"Their selfless commitment to their profession makes us all very proud. The President said that her thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families at this time."

The Taoiseach said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the deaths.

"Their untimely deaths are all the more poignant given that they themselves had helped to save the lives of those on board a distressed vessel only a short time beforehand. Our sympathy is with their family who we hope will take some solace from the bravery and selfless commitment to duty displayed by their loved ones. They can be very proud of them as we all are", he said.

The Tanaiste, Ms Harney said: "The four men lost their lives in the course of carrying out selfless and courageous duties. It is a tragic loss in the first instance to their families but also to their colleagues in the Defence Forces and to this country."

The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, and the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, who went immediately to the scene on being told of the accident, both said they had learnt of the accident with great sadness and they extended their sympathies to the families of the bereaved.

The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said it was "a tragic irony that something which held out the hope of saving lives all across the south-eastern coast has taken the lives of those who manned it". He said the days ahead would be difficult for the bereaved families "but they must be assured of the widespread sorrow and support for them in the wider community that they served".

The Defence Forces representative body, PDFORRA, also extended its sympathy to the families. "The four men followed a long and well-established tradition of providing a superb search-and-rescue service over the past 40 years. The missions were often carried out in very challenging circumstances in order to save the lives of thousands of people," a statement said.

The Dail expressed sympathy with the relatives of those killed in the Waterford air crash and observed a minute's silence.

The Minister for Public Enterprise, who was deputising for the Taoiseach on the Order of Business in the Dail, said that the "valiant" people who died were the first fatalities on active service experienced by the Air Corps since the foundation of the State.

"It is all the more poignant that this tragedy occurred while the crew, having successfully carried out their role in a search-and-rescue mission, were themselves seeking safe harbour. It is a timely reminder to all of us of the risks undertaken by members of the Defence Forces on a daily basis in carrying out their routine missions," Ms O'Rourke said.

The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said he had a deep sense of personal loss because they were men who had flown him when he was Taoiseach. "At all times, the level of professionalism, dedication to service shown by these men who have lost their lives was exemplary in the way in which it expressed the spirit of the Irish Defence Forces: a sense of service to people, a service to democracy."

Tributes were also paid in the Seanad where the leader of the House, Mr Donie Cassidy, praised air service rescue personnel for the tireless way they worked day in and day out to save lives.

The bodies of the four pilots will arrive in Baldonnel aerodrome in Dublin this evening. They will remain in Number 3 hangar overnight, where a vigil will be kept by colleagues.

The first funeral Mass will be held for Capt Dave O'Flaherty, in the Garrison Church, Baldonnel, at 11.30 a.m. tomorrow , before his body is taken by gun carriage, for burial at Daingean Cemetery, near Tullamore, Co Tipperary. Arrangements are being made for the other three funerals.