Weather hampers cliff plunge search

Weather conditions have hampered a major search operation for the body of a Finnish student who fell off a cliff.

The alarm was raised by a friend of the 22-year-old when he plunged from Cloughmore in Achill Island, Co Mayo.

The Achill lifeboat and Coast Guard vessel are at the scene, while the Sligo-based Coast Guard helicopter has returned to base.

A spokesman for Malin Head Coast Guard said weather conditions have been hazardous in the area and too dangerous for the helicopter to deploy a winch.

A rescue team also scaled the cliff but could not get to the area where the man’s body is believed to be.

“We have no hope of getting a boat in there at the moment,” he said.

“The area is fairly inaccessible in bad weather. Winds have been force six to seven and the water is a mass of white. It’s just too dangerous.”

Weather conditions are expected to improve overnight.

“We will begin again at first light,” the spokesman added.