This article is from page 11 of the 2006-05-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
A MAJOR search of the Cratloe Woods was carried out on Sunday evening, after an eight-year-old boy went missing while out walking with his family.
The boy, from Limerick city, was out walking with his mother and brother, when he became separated from them at around 6pm.
The alarm was immediately raised by the boy’s distraught mother and gardaí were called in from Shannon, Sixmilebridge and Ennis, while the Garda Dog Unit was deployed from Henry Street in Limerick.
The Shannon-based Irish Coastguard helicopter was brought to the scene and the searched continued for over two-and-a-half hours. There was huge relief when the boy went to a house some distance from where he disappeared, after he managed to make his way out of the woods.
The householder had seen the helicopter in the distance and telephoned gardaí. The boy was then reunited with his family, shortly before 9pm.
Dozens of local people assisted in the search, along with 20 gardai from the various stations.
Shannon gardaí co-ordinated the operation. Sergeant Dermot O’Connor said everyone was relieved it turned out to be a success.
“Thankfully it was a success story and the boy was located uninjured. When we became aware that he had been separated from his family, we immediately commenced a search of the woods. We consulted with the last people who had seen the boy,” said Sgt O’Connor.
“We became concerned due to the terrain in the area and as darkness loomed, we deemed it necessary to call in the assistance of the Garda Dog Unit and the Air Support helicopter,” he added.
He paid tribute to the assistance provided by the Coastguard helicopter and the local people who offered assistance in the search.
“The main thing was to get in the support services,” he said.