Regularly ranked as one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the world, Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher are also one of the most dangerous (Picture: minoandriani/iStockphoto/Getty Images)
A body has been recovered in the search for a boy, 12, who fell from the Cliffs of Moher on Tuesday.
The boy had been on holiday with his family in Ireland when they visited the popular tourist site on the west coast, RTÉ News reported.
At some point during the trip, the boy became separated from his family, sparking a massive search and rescue effort of the coast of County Clare.
The coast guard deployed drones to scour the rocky coastline where white waves crash into the base of cliffs, which stretch for roughly nine-miles.
A helicopter and life boat were also used in the search, which was led by police.
Efforts were called off several times during the week as heavy rain and windy conditions made it difficult to continue.
Today it was called off after the 12-year-old’s body was spotted by a fishing boat around 10am in Galway Bay some distance from the cliffs, roughly 3km northwest of Doolin.
His body has been taken to University Hospital Limerick where he will be formally identified and a post-mortem examination will be carried out.
An estimated nine people a year die at the Cliffs of Moher (Picture: Ocskay Bence/Shutterstock)
A Garda spokesperson said: ‘Following the recovery of a body this morning, Sunday, 28 July, a coastal search operation for a young boy missing from the vicinity of the Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare since Tuesday afternoon, 23 July 2024, has been stood down.
‘A file will now be prepared for the coroner.’
Reaching up to 702 feet high at their tallest point, the sheer cliffs are one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions, with images of them plastered on postcards.
But the Cliffs of Moher have also been described as one of world’s most dangerous natural attractions, with nine deaths each year.
A young woman in her 20s died after falling from the cliffs this May. She was a Belgian student studying in Scotland.
In 2019, a man also in his 20s died after slipping and falling while taking a selfie on top of the cliffs.
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