Fundraiser launched to repatriate brothers who drowned off Clare coast

Hundreds attend Limerick vigil as funds raised to return brothers’ bodies to Afghanistan after tragic Clare fishing accident

Brothers Salahuddin Safi (left) and Tajuddin Safi (right), who died in Clare.

A fundraiser has been set up to help repatriate the bodies of two brothers who drowned while fishing in west Clare.

Tajuddin Safi, aged in his 30s, and Salahuddin Safi, aged in his 20s, drowned after being swept to sea while fishing off rocks near Doonbeg on Tuesday.

The brothers, originally from Afghanistan, lived in Limerick and had travelled to Clare to fish. The tragedy occurred near an area known locally as the Blue Pool at Pulleen Bay.

Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday for a vigil in Limerick, and more than €13,000 has been raised to help repatriate their bodies to their home country.

"They were beloved members of the Afghan community in Limerick, Ireland, full of hope, dreams, and love for their family back home.

"Salahuddin had only recently married. His young wife remains in Afghanistan, waiting for the life they had imagined together, now shattered by unimaginable grief," wrote the organiser of the GoFundMe.

"Thousands of miles away, their family cannot bring them home alone. We are raising funds to repatriate Tajuddin and Salahuddin to Afghanistan so they can be laid to rest with dignity and surrounded by loved ones one last time. Every donation, no matter how small, brings them closer to home. Please share widely and hold their family in your thoughts and prayers."