Body of missing five-year-old recovered from Lough Mask, Co Mayo

Boy who was believed to have fallen from a small boat named locally as Ben Duffy

Gardaí and the Coast Guard began the search on Monday after the alarm was raised at 6.30pm, when the inflatable boat was spotted in the water. Photograph: Lenny Antoneli

The five-year-old boy whose body was taken from Lough Mask in Co Mayo today has been named locally as Ben Duffy.

A search operation for the missing boy had been stood down after his body was recovered on Tuesday morning.

It is understood he had been in a small boat which capsized after drifting from the shoreline on Monday.

Gardaí in Castlebar, assisted by Coast Guard, Civil Defence, Lough Mask Water Rescue and local divers, confirmed the search had been brought to an end in a statement released shortly before 9am.

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The search began on Monday after the alarm was raised at 6.30pm, when the inflatable boat was spotted in the water.

The Coast Guard helicopter, based in Shannon, Co Clare, conducted an aerial survey of the lake on Monday evening, while search teams worked to locate the boy.

The local Lough Mask water rescue team was also involved in the operation, along with the local mountain rescue service. Local residents and divers had also been assisting.

The boy had last been seen on the Toormakeady side of the lake.

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an Irish Times journalist