A man has died after a boat capsized off the coast of Co Galway, in an incident that unfolded in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Emergency services were alerted at around 2.50am after reports that three men had entered the water near Ceann Mhása, north of St Macdara’s Island.
Gardaí said the vessel was carrying three men in their 30s who had been visiting the area from Norway and were returning from Roundstone when the boat capsized.
Two of the men managed to swim safely ashore and were reported to be unharmed.
A major search operation was launched involving the Irish Coast Guard, with helicopters R115 and R117 from Shannon and Waterford tasked alongside local lifeboats from Clifden and the Aran Islands, as well as coast guard units from Cleggan and Cuan Chasla.
Shortly before 8am, the body of the third man was recovered along the shoreline. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The body, understood to be that of a man in his 30s, has been taken to the mortuary at University Hospital Galway, where a post-mortem examination will take place. The coroner has been notified.
Gardaí and the Coast Guard continue to coordinate enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
