Man, critical, taken to hospital after car enters sea in Kinvara, Galway

A man is reported to be in a critical condition in hospital tonight after he was pulled from the sea in Kinvara, Co Galway.

A major multi-agency search and rescue operation was mounted shortly after 8pm tonight after it was reported that a car had entered the sea in the town.

The search continued following reports that another person may have been in the vehicle, however it was called off at 10:15pm and it is believed there was no other person in the car.

The alarm was raised at around 8.10pm when, it’s understood, people raised alarm at a local pub. It’s not clear whether they had seen the car in the water or actually witnessed it entering the sea.

The Irish Coast Guard mounted a major search and rescue operation and alerted a number of agencies.

Units of the fire brigade from Gort and Galway City, several National Ambulance Service resources and Gardaí responded to the incident while the Galway RNLI lifeboat was launched and dispatched to the area.

The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard travelled to the scene by road with one of their rescue boats in tow while the Shannon based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, was also tasked to assist.

In the meantime, it’s understood a number of locals had entered the water in an effort to reach the car.

Kinvara, Co Galway. Picture: Google

According to one man:

They were trying to get someone out but they couldn’t. I think one of them was a diver because he knew what he was doing. The fire brigade and other emergency services started to arrive then.

Fire service personnel, trained in water rescue, also entered the water. According to onlookers a local trawler was used to haul the car closer to the pier. The man was recovered from the car at around 9.00pm and efforts quickly began to resuscitate him on the quayside.

He has been taken to University Hospital Galway for treatment and is reportedly in a critical condition.

A truck with a crane was sourced and the car was recovered from the water at around 9.15pm.

The crew of the Galway RNLI lifeboat continued a search of the harbour area while Rescue 115 hovered overhead. The helicopter crew used their aircraft’s lights to illuminate the area for search teams.

Members of Doolin Coast Guard commenced a search of the shoreline.