Three men killed in overseas holiday accidents

THE Department of Foreign Affairs is helping grieving families fly the bodies of three Irishmen home after tragic holiday accidents in South Africa and Tenerife.

Alan Henry Helen from Co Cork drowned in Tenerife last Tuesday while on holiday with a group of friends.

The 24-year-old son of Richard and Betty Helen, worked on the family’s dairy farm in Clonakilty and was a popular member of the local community.

Neighbour Kevin Dillon said he was shocked to hear the news and had visited his parents to offer their sympathy.

“They’re heartbroken but bearing up well.

“He was the second oldest in the family and the only son. It’s a tragedy which has shocked the whole area.

“Alan was a lovely young fella and very good-natured. Many people experienced that good nature and he was also very witty,” Mr Dillon said.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the honorary consulate in Tenerife was helping to arrange to have Mr Helen’s remains flown home.

“I think it could be a few days yet before the funeral arrangements are known,” Mr Dillon said.

Meanwhile, the families of two men from Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, who died in a crash in Johannesburg last Tuesday, have flown out to South Africa to collect their bodies and be with their two wives who were injured in the accident.

Farmer Ciaran Fisher, a father of one who was in his 30s, and Liam Mortimer, a company representative in his 40s, were killed in the accident while they were driving from the airport in Johannesburg to a local hotel. Their wives Ruth Fisher and Andrea Mortimer were injured in the crash.

“There’s a cloud hanging over the place. Everybody knew the two men. It’s very sad,” Enniskerry parish priest Fr Patrick Farnan said.