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A man in his 20s who struggled while swimming in the sea off Dublin’s north coast died after being pulled out of the water by units of the Irish Coast Guard.
The Irish Coast Guard rescue coordination center received a call to 999, reporting a person in distress at sea off a beach known locally as Hidden Beach near the Baily Lighthouse in Howth on Friday afternoon.
The Howth Coast Guard rescue team, along with the Howth RNLI lifeboat and the Coast Guard Rescue 116 helicopter were alerted and responded immediately.
The Coast Guard rescue team arrived at the scene and took the man ashore, where paramedics from the Dublin Fire Department and the National Ambulance Service treated him.
Coast Guard Rescue 116 took him aboard the helicopter and transferred him to an ambulance where he was taken to Beaumont Hospital. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
A Garda spokesman described the incident as “a tragic accident”.
“We encourage people to be careful around the water over Easter weekend and to contact the Coast Guard at 999 or 112 if they think they see someone in trouble,” a Coast Guard spokesman said.
He stressed the importance of people who alerted emergency services after seeing others in difficulty in the water “remain in place until help arrives” whenever it is “possible and safe to do so.
He said staying at the scene meant it was much easier for emergency services to locate the person in trouble and can cut search time down to crucial minutes and even hours.
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