Boy’s friend tried to save him as he fell to death at waterfall
A 15-YEAR-OLD boy has died in a horror fall from Powerscourt Waterfall in Co. Wicklow and his young friend who tried to save him had to be airlifted to hospital.
The tragic teenager, understood to have been holidaying here from the North, got into difficulty when descending the waterfall yesterday.
This led to the 15-year-old boy falling to his death from the popular tourist spot.
His 14-year-old friend tried to help him but ended up in severe difficulty himself. This led to him being rescued by air ambulance, sources said.
The Irish Coast Guard received a request for assistance to retrieve the other youth who was stuck at the top of the waterfall. The Dublin Coast Guard Rescue 116 helicopter was dispatched and
‘Terrible news this afternoon from Powerscourt Waterfall’
the second teen was airlifted to safety and did not require additional assistance.
Sources say the 15-year-old boy who lost his life had been trying to scale a section of the 121-metre waterfall when he slipped and fell.
Sinn Féin TD John Brady from Bray, Co. Wicklow, tweeted his condolences following the tragedy. ‘Terrible news this afternoon from Powerscourt waterfall. RIP,’ he wrote.
Gardaí confirmed some details of the incident when contacted yesterday, saying: ‘Gardaí are currently at the scene of a fatal incident in Powerscourt Estate, House and Gardens in Co. Wicklow. The incident occurred at approximately 2.30pm.
‘A male teenage youth was been pronounced dead at the scene. His body has been removed to the mortuary at St Colmcille’s Hospital, Loughlinstown, where a postmortem will be carried out. Investigations are ongoing.’