A young father from Cork is the latest to perish on Irish farms this year. The 37-year-old father of two died on Friday (20/06/2014) evening while working with slurry. A 37-year-old father of two from Cork died on Friday after he was overcome by slurry fumes and fell into the slurry tank. The man has been named as Mike McCarthy and is survived by his wife Siobhan and his two children Cathal (six) and Aoife (18 months). The accident occurred shortly before 6pm at Kealkillm near Bantry in West Cork. Paramedics, as well a unit from the local Fire Brigade, attempted to resuscitate Mr McCarthy, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to CorkUniversityHospital where a post-mortem examination took place. It is understand that’s Mr McCarthy’s father jumped into the tank to try and save his son. When slurry is agitated, the toxic and deadly gas hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is released. Experts say that unless a person is operating in a well-ventilated area, the gas can kill humans and animals in less than 10 seconds. Hydrogen sulphide is at its most dangerous in the 30 minutes after agitating. This death brings to 13 the number of people that have been killed on Irish farms so far this year. There were a total of 16 deaths on Irish farms in 2013 with a quarter of those being children. A spokesman for the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) confirmed that an investigation is still under way. (Source – Irish Farmers Journal – 23/06/2014)
A young father from Cork is the latest to perish on Irish farms this year. His body was taken to Cork University Hospital.