Mountain rescuers have recovered the bodies of two hill walkers who died yesterday near Carrauntoohill in Co Kerry.
Mr John Lucey (56) from Cork, general secretary of PDFORRA, the permanent Defence Forces representative association, and Ms Joan O'Leary (35), also from Cork, died while on a hill-walking tour of the area.
The two fell into a gully near Lough Duff, three miles south of Carrantuohill.
They were taken by the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter to safe ground above Lough Duff at 4.00 p.m., and then brought to a farmhouse at the head of Black Valley, from where the alarm was raised yesterday afternoon. The bodies are being brought to Tralee General Hospital by road.
The recovery operation was co-ordinated by Killarney Gardaí and the Kerry Mountain Rescue service. Up to 25 members of the service were on the scene since 8.00 a.m. today, securing the two bodies prior to the recovery operation.
The Coast Guard's Sikorsky helicopter is currently ferrying the team down from the mountainside.
A Co Clare man in his thirties who was in the same climbing party was airlifted by helicopter to Tralee General Hospital yesterday suffering from head and back injuries. He was said to be in a stable condition today.
The fourth member of the group had made his way to the farmhouse and called for help shortly after 3.15 p.m.
There have now been three fatalities in the past 10 days in the Kerry mountains. Warren O'Brien, (23), an experienced climber, fell to his death while ascending Carrauntoohil on St Stephen's Day.