A second young man has died following a swimming tragedy off Co Donegal yesterday.
It follows an incident off the coast of the Inishowen Peninsula yesterday afternoon which sparked a huge search and rescue mission.
Three young men aged between 16 and 19 years got into difficulty off the Inishowen town of Buncrana at around 4pm.
The alert was raised by a passer-by which sparked a massive sea operation involving both volunteers and members of the emergency services.
One of the men managed to swim to shore while another was later plucked from the water but a third could not be found.
The body of the third man was recovered from the water between an area known as Ned’s Point and Fahan around 9pm last night.
The second man taken from the sea by rescuers and rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital.
However, he has since passed away overnight despite the best efforts of medics to save his life.
A third man is understood to be in a comfortable condition in hospital.
The tragic incident once again brought a tremendous response from both local volunteers and members of the emergency services.
Two RNLI lifeboats were assisted by teams from Mulroy and Greencastle coastguard units with further help by up to a dozen local yachts.
The multi agency search included the Rescue 118 helicopter from Sligo along with the RNLI lifeboat from Buncrana and a number of local yachts.
Prayers were said at local masses this morning for three young men and their families.
Local county councillor Jack Murray said there were no words to describe how the community in Buncrana felt following the tragedy.
He praised the work of local volunteers as well as all of the emergency services who assisted in the search and rescue operation.
He said “Our emergency services have once again demonstrated courage and professionalism in unthinkable circumstances.
“We have been hit with so many tragedies and horrendous events in this area. Each time the emergency services are called upon, they stand up without fail.”
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