Baltimore, Co. Cork — A search operation for a missing Italian man in West Cork has been stood down after a body was recovered from the water. The 27-year-old, who was believed to be a rock climber, had failed to return home after a planned abseiling trip in the area of Eastern Hall in Baltimore Harbour.
The man’s girlfriend reported him missing to Gardaí, prompting a search operation. A local farmer had seen the man earlier in the afternoon near the Beacon in Baltimore, a well-known stone tower on the cliffs. The initial search on Thursday night was called off at 1 a.m. and resumed at 6 a.m. on Friday morning.
The search involved a multi-agency team, including two Coastguard Helicopters (Rescue 115 from Shannon and Rescue 117 from Waterford), the RNLI from Baltimore, the Civil Defence, and Gardaí. Local fishermen also joined the efforts.
The recovery was made possible after climbing gear belonging to the man was located on the sea cliffs late on Thursday night, which helped the team to pinpoint a specific area to search. A local diver recovered the body this morning.
In a statement, Gardaí confirmed that the search was stood down following the recovery of the body. The man’s body has been removed from the scene, and the local Coroner has been notified. A post-mortem examination will be conducted in due course.
