An Indian student has died after falling off a cliff in Ireland while taking a selfie on Friday, January 4.
The man has been identified as Anand Goel, a Trinity College Student from India, Irish Times reported. Mr Goel who was studying marketing and design lost his balance while taking the photograph at the popular tourist attraction the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare on Friday afternoon.
The tragedy happened south of the main viewing areas near the visitor centre. There were hundreds of people enjoying the scenery and cliff walk at the time, the Irish Mirror reported.
Emergency services, including a search helicopter, were mobilised as soon as the alarm was raised. A winchman from the helicopter recovered the man from the sea. The victim was flown to nearby Doolin where he was formally pronounced dead.
Cliffs of Moher in County Clare (Image: Google)
The police interviewed a number of witnesses and confirmed they were treating the death as a tragic accident.
"There is nothing to suggest at this stage that this was anything other than a tragic accident. Initial indications are, having taken statements from a number of people, is that the victim was taking a selfie and lost his footing," an Irish Police spokesman said.
In June 2007, a Hungarian man in his 20s died after he fell to his death at the Cliffs of Moher while taking photographs. The cliffs draw about 1.5 million visitors per year.
Originally from Delhi, he came to Dublin in September to begin his studies and had been travelling around the country in his spare time.
“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,” a spokeswoman said.
India’s ambassador to Ireland Sandeep Kumar visited the scene on Saturday and met gardaí and rescue workers.
He said he was “grateful” to the Irish Coast Guard and helicopter and boat teams for helping to recover Mr Goel’s body.
“Heartfelt condolences to bereaved family. Your loss is our loss,” Mr Kumar wrote on Facebook. “Embassy stands solidly with you and is assisting with all formalities. We’ll be bringing you home in the earliest possible time frame.”
The alarm was raised at around 3.15pm on Friday after the tragedy was witnessed by a number of people. Eye-witnesses are understood to have told gardaí Mr Goel was taking a selfie at the time and lost his footing.
Tour bus
It’s understood Mr Goel had arrived at the Cliffs of Moher on a tour bus and was travelling alone. It’s also believed he had been travelling around Ireland in recent months taking photographs.
Gardaí, members of the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard and the Shannon based search and rescue helicopter were mobilised to the incident as soon as the alarm was raised. Rescue 115 had been on a training mission at the time and was able to respond to the incident promptly.
Mr Goel’s body was recovered and he was formally pronounced dead at the Coast Guard station before his remains were removed to University Hospital Limerick for formal identification and a postmortem.
Gardaí interviewed a number of eye-witnesses following the incident and are treating the matter as a tragic accident.
A Garda spokesman said: “The man has also been identified and his family in India has been notified. We are working with the embassy to facilitate the repatriation of the man’s remains.”
He added: “We will continue with the investigation and prepare a file for the county coroner who will hold an inquest in due course.”
Content Courtesy: IrishTimes.com