THE BODY of a missing 5 year old boy has been recovered from the water at Lough Mask, County Mayo.
The child, understood to be from the local area and the youngest of five siblings, is believed to have drowned after falling from a dinghy that may have drifted from the shoreline yesterday evening.
The boy was at the lake with his family yesterday as temperatures in Ireland reached 26° in some areas, and the alarm was raised at around 6.30pm yesterday evening when the boy was reported missing.
A garda spokesman confirmed the search at the time, stating:
"A search operation involving An Garda Síochána... is underway on Lough Mask near Toormakeady for a young boy who went missing while out on the water.”
The family, local community as well as Gardaí and the Irish Coast Guard searched for the boy on the west side of Lough Mask, near Tuar Mhic Éadaigh (Toormakeady) until nightfall yesterday, Monday 1 June.
The search resumed at first light this morning and the child's body was sadly recovered from the water at 8am, approximately 4km south of Tuar Mhic Éadaigh.
Gardaí in Castlebar, assisted by the Coast Guard, Civil Defence, Lough Mask Water Rescue and local divers confirmed the sad news this morning, and asked that his family be given privacy during this terrible time.
May he rest in peace.
