THE BODY OF a man who went missing during a cave diving trip has been located in Pollonora cave, north of Gort, Co Galway.
The Polish man, aged in his 30s, went missing whilst exploring the cave yesterday evening. When the man did not reappear at 9.30pm, as scheduled, an alert was issued and the search began. The caves were reported to have been flooded to a depth of 52 metres.
The cave was searched by an experienced diver who was described as having an excellent knowledge of the area at around 11pm. The search lasted until 1am but there was no sign of the diver.
The Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) confirmed that a body was located in the cave following an extensive search which re-commenced at approximately 1pm today.
A spokesperson for the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation said that the man’s body was located and secured at the known limit of the cave, at a distance of 850 metres from the entrance and at a depth underwater of 52 metres. A plan for recovery is being formulated at present by the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO).
The spokesman said that the man’s family were being informed and that the ICRO’s thoughts were with them at this sad and difficult time.
Gardaí in Gort said that the man’s body, when recovered, will be taken to the local morgue where a post mortem examination will be carried out on the body. The man’s identity has not yet been confirmed by gardaí.
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