Irishman dies in raft accident on honeymoon

AN Irish hotel manager has died in a rafting accident in Laos while on a delayed honeymoon break.

Michael O’Sullivan, a 39-year-old from Blackpool, Cork, who worked at a number of hotels and catering establishments in Kerry, was swept to his death in the flood-swollen waters of the Nam Song river.

Mr O’Sullivan’s wife Ilana James, whom he married last November, was part of the search team that recovered his body on Saturday, two days after he went missing during a river tubing trip.

The body, which was found trapped under a ledge along the banks of the fast- flowing river, was taken to the capital Vientiane.

The couple had been part of a group of mainly American and Australian tourists visiting Vang Vieng, a tiny town in northern Laos that is popular among backpackers.

River tubing is a well-established activity for visitors to the area and locals were said to have been shocked by the fatal accident.

Tubing trips involve floating on a giant inner tube, of the type used in lorry tyres, down the usually placid river which is flanked by spectacular mountain scenery.

“But last Thursday the river was in flood and just as darkness was falling Michael got caught in a current and was carried away in the dark after attempts by three men to get him to shore failed,” his sister Stephanie explained.

“He waved at his wife and then he was quickly gone,” she added.

Stephanie explained that the rescue attempt was hampered by the fact that in Laos day turns into night very quickly, without any twilight period.

Nineteen of the group, including Mr O’Sullivan’s New Zealand-born wife, managed to get out of the river safely.

Mr O’Sullivan’s eldest brother John, who works in the IT sector in London, has flown to Laos to make arrangements to bring the body home.

“We don’t expect to have those details finalised before the end of the week,” Stephanie said.