TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to a Trinity College Dublin student who died after falling from a cliff in Co Clare on Friday.
The 26-year-old Indian national, who has been named as Anand Goel, died after he lost his footing while taking photographs at the Cliffs of Moher.
The alarm was raised at around 3.15pm on Friday when a man was seen falling from the cliff. Eyewitnesses are understood to have told gardaí that the man was taking a selfie at the time and lost his footing.
The man’s body was recovered from the sea by the crew of Rescue 115 and flown to Doolin Coast Guard station.
The victim was formally pronounced dead before his remains were removed to University Hospital Limerick
The Indian Embassy in Dublin is working to repatriate the victim’s body back to his home country while staff at TCD are providing support to the victim’s family, friends and fellow students as well as their own staff.
The Indian Ambassador to Ireland Sandeep Kumar visited the scene of the incident over the weekend.
“Deeply saddened by tragic death of promising Indian student, Anand Goel, studying Tech Marketing & Design at Trinity College, who accidentally fell off Cliffs of Moher,” Kumar wrote on Facebook.
“Heartfelt condolences to bereaved family. Your loss is our loss. Embassy stands solid with you and is assisting with all formalities. We’ll be bringing you home in earliest possible time frame, Anand.”
In a statement released yesterday, a spokesperson for TCD said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of one of our students at the Cliffs of Moher on Friday afternoon.
We are doing all we can to provide support to them following the shocking news of the accidental death of their son.
“We are also reaching out to his fellow students, friends and staff here at Trinity supporting them during this distressing time. We are working closely with the Indian Embassy and An Garda Síochána in doing so.”
The Irish Council for International Students said that it “sends its heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends” of Goel.
Gardaí interviewed a number of eyewitnesses following tragedy and have confirmed that, at this stage, they are treating the death as a tragic accident.
With reporting by Pat Flynn
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