Sewer victims are cousins of Robbie Keane

The man who was killed in Wednesday’s workplace accident and his critically injured brother are cousins of the Irish International football captain, Robbie Keane, it has emerged.

Alan Harris, owner of the Drain Tech firm, died when he was overwhelmed by fumes as he entered a sewer at the Drumnigh Wood estate in Portmarnock.

Alan Harris

The 45-year-old’s brother, Steve, is in intensive care in Beaumont hospital.

Steve Harris

Keane participated in yesterday’s training session ahead of Ireland’s crucial European Championship qualifier against Scotland on Saturday.

The session took place in Malahide, just 5km from the Portmarnock estate where the tragedy unfolded.

Assistant Ireland manager Roy Keane said yesterday his namesake was focussing on Saturday’s game.

“I don’t really know the ins and outs. But he has trained today, being the professional he is, as you would expect and as far as he’s concerned he’s focusing on the game,” he said.

“He trained fine and he’s had to deal with a lot but as you know with Robbie, it doesn’t seem to affect him when he gets out on that pitch.”

Meanwhile a 15-year-old student was being mourned in the Midlands yesterday after the first sunny spell of the summer holidays ended in his death by drowning.

Caolan Seoige-Webster from Athlone lost his battle for life in the early hours of yesterday morning at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, in Dublin. He had earlier been taken to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe before being transferred to Dublin.

Caolan had been swimming with three friends on one of the warmest days of the year so far when the tragedy happened.

The teenagers were in the River Shannon near Wansboro Park, between the railway bridge in Athlone town centre and the bridge at the Dublin-Galway N6 bypass.

His friends raised the alarm shortly after 5.30pm when they could not see him in the water.

Two members of the Athlone Sub-Aqua Club had gathered at the nearby clubhouse to take part in a regular Wednesday evening training exercise and raced to the scene in a desperate attempt to locate Caolan.

They were joined shortly afterwards by members of the Garda Water Unit and later by the Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat.

Caolan was found close to where he was last seen and repeated attempts were made to revive him.

RNLI volunteer Stewart McKillen — who assisted in administering CPR — said the emergency services had worked well and succeeded in locating the teenager quickly.

Caolan was rushed to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, but the decision was taken to transfer him by air to Temple Street in Dublin where the teenager later passed away.

A spokesman for Athlone Sub-Aqua Club expressed the club’s sympathy with the Seoige-Webster family and said swimming in cold water at this time of year could be something of a shock to the system.

“It was tragic accident,” the spokesman said.