Bodies of three-year-old girl and man found on west Cork coast

on 06/03/2013 08:49:07

The body of a man and his three-year-old daughter have been recovered from the sea in west Cork.

A major search operation was launched after the alarm was raised following a call to gardaí from a farm in Ballydehob shortly before midnight.

The bodies were recovered on the beach and from the water a short time later.

Gardaí were called to the farm at Foilnamuck in Ballydehob shortly before midnight, when the 50-year-old man and his three-year-old daughter were reported missing.

A major search operation began. Officers carried out a search of the farmland and surrounding area and Valencia coastguard was called in to search the coastline.

The body of the three-year-old girl was found on the beach near Ballydehob at around 2am and the body of her father was taken from the water a short time later.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The bodies have been taken to Cork University Hospital for post mortem examinations by the State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster later this morning and gardaí have launched an investigation.