A man who died after he got into difficulty while swimming in a lake in Co Clare may have hit his head while diving from a pier.
Named locally as Samir Kaul, 49 and originally from India, he was at the lake with pals when the horror tragedy struck just after 6.30pm on Saturday at Ballyalla Lake, just north of the town of Ennis.
Samir, who was due to celebrate his 50th birthday in October and lived at Kilrush Road in Ennis, is believed to have dived into the water but did not resurface.
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It’s understood a number of young men who saw him dive in, jumped in after the casualty and brought him to the surface and ashore.
A lifeguard on duty at a different part of the lake also assisted, while gardai, the National Ambulance Service and the Irish Coast Guard were all alerted.
Despite the best efforts of a number of people, including the lifeguard, to revive Mr Kaul, he was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving those in attendance at the popular swimming spot in shock.
Samir, who was a member of the Foundation Ministries Ireland church, has been described as a “lovely man who brought joy everywhere he went,” had been living in Ennis for a number of years.
Reverend Albert Chinwe Obadeyi of Foundation Ministries Ireland in Ennis told The Star the whole community is “deeply saddened and shocked.”
“We never expected such a tragedy. It has caught us all by surprise,” Rev Albert said.
“Samir attended our services regularly and he was a lovely man. Everyone enjoyed his presence. After church when we would play music Samir was always up dancing.
“He brought joy everywhere he went. He was a joy to be with and had a peaceful presence about him. He’d do his best to help in any way. He was well known and very popular. We will do all we can to help and support his family.”
Local councillor Ann Norton said the tight-knit community of Ennis has also been left in shock following the tragedy.
“Everyone is in shock and upset on hearing the tragic news,” Cllr Norton told The Star.
“Ballyalla Lake is a very popular spot for swimming in. Lifeguards were on duty at the time and they did actually go to the scene and did everything possible to revive him but unfortunately they couldn’t and he died at the scene.
“The area he was swimming in is near an old pier and it isn’t recommended for swimming due to a lot of rocks being under the water.
“For someone so young to lose their life is so tragic,” she continued, offering her condolences to his family.
“No one likes to see anything like this happening especially when we are so limited in getting good weather. People will always go to the water. We just have to make sure people follow the rules and stay safe in water,” said Cllr Norton.
Cllr Norton explained that the community of Barefield which is close to the lake, along with Clare County Council put in a lot of work promoting the amenity and upgrading it. During Covid 19 lockdowns the amenity became very popular so there has been a huge amount of work done to the lake.
“The lifeguards were put back into it the last number of years because we wanted to make sure it’s safe. The lifeguards need to be commended and went straight away when they saw he was in trouble and tried everything,” she said.
“During the lockdowns it became very popular so there has been a huge amount of work done to the lake,” said Cllr Norton.
The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, which had been dealing with another incident in Doonbeg on the Clare coast at the time, was retasked from that mission to the unfolding incident in Ennis.
The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard, which had also been tasked to the incident in Doonbeg, were rerouted to the scene in Ennis too.
Rescue 115 landed in a field close to the lake in case the casualty needed to be airlifted to hospital but was released after it was confirmed the man had passed away.
The man’s body was removed to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.
Gardaí will also undertake an investigation of the tragedy and prepare a file for the county coroner who will hold an inquest at a later date.
A Garda spokesman said: “Gardaí attended the scene of an incident on Saturday afternoon at Ballyalla Lake, Ballyalla, Ennis where a man had dived into the water from the Old Pier.
"Gardaí and persons at scene assisted the man and he was taken from the water. The man was later pronounced deceased.”
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