Teenager dies after falling into river while riding horse in Cork

A 15-year-old boy has died after falling into a river while out riding a horse on the outskirts of Cork city on Saturday evening.

The boy was riding the horse at John O'Callaghan Park in Riverstown near Glanmire when the incident happened between 5.45pm and 6.10pm.

It’s understood that the horse entered the Glashaboy river which flows through Glanmire but the animal stumbled throwing the boy into the river and he was swept downstream.

Two friends who were the boy at the time raised the alarm and gardaí along with members of Cork City Fire Brigade and paramedics attended at the scene.

A major search operation was launched and the boy was recovered some 30 minutes later by members of the Fire Brigade, having been under water for some time.

He was in a critical condition and paramedics worked on him at the scene to try and resuscitate him before he was transferred by ambulance to Cork University Hospital.

Doctors at the emergency department continued to treat him at the hospital but he failed to regain consciousness and he was pronounced dead shortly after 11pm.

The boy is from Mayfield on Cork’s northside but his name is not being released by gardaí until all next of kin have been notified.

Gardaí described the incident as “a terrible tragedy” and say that they will begin preparing a file on the boy’s death of an inquest at the coroner’s court.