25/11/2009

Donegal Kite-Surfer Killed In Freak Accident

A man has been killed in a freak kite-surfing accident off Donegal.

The victim, named locally as David North, who was in his 20s, and believed to be from Belturbet in Co Cavan, had been kite-surfing at Rossnowlagh on Tuesday when unpredictable winds lifted him from the water and carried him onto jagged rocks. The incident happened around 2.30pm.

Ballyshannon Garda said: "The young man was out on the water and a gust of wind caught hold of his kite and he ended up on the rocks."

He was one of a group of student kite surfers from Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

The president of Letterkenny IT described the incident as a dreadful tragedy and offered his sympathies to the victim's family.

At the time of the incident, friends of the victim ran to a local Friary for help, reaching Father Sean Gildea who administered the last rites. The priest later reported the wind had been so bad he had been swept off his feet while offering the final blessing.

Another local Father told reporters that conditions at the time were "atrocious".

A weather warning had been issued for the area yesterday and sea crossings were cancelled due to the high winds.

(DW/BMcC)

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