Teenage girl dies after dune collapse

A teenage girl who was trapped under a collapsed sand dune in west Kerry yesterday has passed away.

Nineteen-year-old Niamh McCarthy, who was from Minane Bridge in Cork, died in hospital this afternoon.

She had been on the back beach in the Maharees with friends when the tragedy happened around 3pm yesterday afternoon.

The group, who had travelled to west Kerry after finishing their college exams, had dug a hole in the dune prior to its collapse.

Her friends and locals managed to dig her out before she received medical attention.

She was then rushed by ambulance to Kerry General Hospital.

Gardaí have confirmed the teenager lost her fight for life at Kerry General Hospital this afternoon.