Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney has said the community is “broken” after the death of an eight-year-old girl who went missing at a beach in Co Cork.
The alarm was raised at Fountainstown Beach, near Crosshaven around 4.40pm on Tuesday and a major search by the emergency services was launched.
Gardai said the body of a female child was recovered from the water at around 7.45pm, and she was pronounced deceased.
RNLI Crosshaven Lifeboat Station said the body was spotted in the water following an extensive search operation.
A spokesperson for Crosshaven RNLI said: “The body of the child was spotted in the surf line by a member of the public and one of our lifeboat crew who recovered her to the beach. May she rest in peace. Our condolences to her family.”
Gardai as well as Coast Guard, RNLI, Fire Services, Customs, Mallow River Rescue were involved in the search effort.
A post-mortem is set to take place, and the Coroner has been notified.
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Speaking to the media in Co Wicklow ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Cork TD Simon Coveney said it had been a summer of tragic deaths.
“We’ve also seen, particularly in my own home city of Cork, extraordinary tragedy again in the last 24 hours in terms of the drowning of a young eight-year-old girl,” he said.
“It’s been a desperate summer in the context of tragedy involving children, both on our roads and unfortunately with water accidents as well, two of them very close to where I live.
“The community is just broken again this morning.
“On behalf of the Government I want to say our thoughts are with the family and the community and the children who are going to school today with an empty seat.”
The tragic death came after a man in his 80s died in a drowning accident at Curracloe Beach in Wexford earlier in the afternoon.
There have been a number of other deaths in the sea in Cork in recent weeks. Jack O'Sullivan (14) died on August 24 while swimming with friends at Passage West in Cork's Lower Harbour.
On August 20 Ivan Chittenden (64) from Toronto, Canada, and Brendan Wall (45) of Cardrath, Co Meath, died during the swim section of the Ironman event in Youghal, Co Cork.
Independent Cork County Councillor Marcia D’Alton paid tribute to the girl on social media: “A devastatingly heartbreaking tragedy at Fountainstown beach this evening.
“Once again, we have witnessed at first hand the courage and tenacity of the rescue services. There are simply no words adequate for the pain of such a loss. Rest easy little beautiful.”