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LAST UPDATE | 1 Mar 2021
EMERGENCY SERVICES HAVE resumed the search for a man missing following a kayaking incident in Co Kildare yesterday.
The multi-agency search and rescue operation resumed at local beauty spot Ardreigh Lock outside Athy at first light this morning.
The alarm was raised yesterday evening after the man and a young child got into difficulty when a kayak overturned on the River Barrow.
The fire service, ambulance, paramedics and garda cars were at the scene on Sunday evening.
The child was rescued from the water and treated at the scene by paramedics.
The search for the man was called off yesterday evening, resuming this morning at first light.
There was a sombre atmosphere today as a large crowd of family members and locals watched local gardaí, the garda water unit, and civil defence scour the river.
Drones were used to scan the river and the riverbank from above.
The area is popular with walkers and families and was particularly busy over the weekend with the good weather.
Local Labour Party senator Mark Wall said the town was “numb with tragedy” over the incident.
“It is very tragic for all involved,” he said.
“Everyone in the town is very upset. Athy is and always has been a very close knit community.
“We’re blessed to have two waterways: the Barrow and the Canal; and everyone in the town was out enjoying the good weather.
“I was out myself on the banks of the canal on Sunday. Then, unfortunately, we all started to hear about what happened. It has hit the town so hard.”
- With reporting from PA
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