Tourist dies, nine people rescued off Cork coast

An investigation has been launched after a Swiss tourist died and nine other men were rescued when a boat carrying them to Coney Island off Co Cork capsized last night.

Nine of the ten men were Swiss and had arrived at Cork airport last night.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) confirmed a probe has been  launched into the tragedy.

The group, all of whom were aged between 40 and 60, were intending to holiday in a house on the privately-owned island.

The tenth man was originally from Co Donegal but had lived for many years in Switzerland. He is understood to be the owner of the house.

A spokesman for Valentia Coast Guard spokesman, who described the boat as a 17-foot long motorised open punt, said weather conditions were very bad at the time they launched, with winds gusting up to 100km/h and a heavy swell.

He said the ten left Colla Pier near Schull and were crossing the Long Island Sound when the engine failed and the boat overturned.

One man swam to nearby Long Island and raised the alarm at a house, while the other nine stayed with the capsized boat.

The alarm was raised at around 2.00am and lifeboats from Baltimore, Togher Head and Castletownbere, as well as Schull inshore rescue and the Shannon Coast Guard helicopter, were despatched.

Danny Lynch, Valencia Island Coast Guard station officer, said they were lucky  so many made it out alive.  "When you had nine people in the water in those sort of weather conditions and  the boat turned upside down we were pretty sure we were looking for nine  bodies," he said.

The Baltimore lifeboat and Schull inshore rescue were the first on the scene. They found nine survivors sheltering in a house on Long Island, where the boat had drifted. The tenth man, who was Swiss, was found dead on a nearby beach.

The survivors were suffering from hypothermia. One was also suffering from chest pains.

All ten were taken ashore to Schull by the Baltimore lifeboat by 3.30am, where waiting ambulances ferried them to Bantry General Hospital. The survivors are understood to be in a stable condition.

The dead man's name has not yet been released.

Baltimore lifeboat coxswain Kieran Cottor said it was a “terrible” night to be out on the sea. “Conditions were very bad and the strong winds combined with the heavy showers and spray meant that the small punt filled quickly with water and overturned,” he said. “The nine people were lucky to make it to shore.”

Mr Cottor said he didn't see if the men were wearing lifejackets or not. He said the men were deeply shocked by their experience. "They looked like they didn't know what hit them," he said.

The Coast Guard spokesman said it is not known whether or not the ten men were wearing lifejackets. An investigation into the incident will be carried out, he said. A Garda spokesman said they were also investigating the circumstances.