Two Die In Irish Flooding Tragedies

Search teams working to locate missing Garda Ciaran Jones have found a body close to where the off-duty officer was swept away last night and a woman's body has been recovered in Dublin.

Mr Jones, 25, was carried away at Ballysmuttan Bridge, on the upper reaches of the River Liffey, at around 7pm last night. The officer was attempting to keep people safe from dangerous floods at the bridge.

The Garda helicopter, Irish Coastguard and several mountain rescue teams were involved in the operation.

Superintendent Eamon Keogh, of Blessington Garda Station, said Garda Jones – a member of the force for about four years – was pulled into the river while trying to come to the aid of a motorist.

"He was seen for a few moments by friends and then he wasn't seen again," he said. The body has not yet been officially identified.

Meanwhile, the body of a woman has been found by Gardai in a flooded basement in Dublin.

The woman, believed to be aged in her 30s, drowned after her apartment became submerged. Neighbours raised the alarm at around 11pm last night and the victim's body was recovered from the basement after water was pumped from the premises by Dublin Fire Brigade. She was thought to have been a Filipino woman.

"A preliminary search of the basement was carried out by the Garda Water Unit at about 1am with negative results," a Garda statement said.

"The body of a female was located earlier this morning when water was pumped from the basement."

The tragic news came as a major emergency plan for the Dublin region remained in place following widespread flooding in the city.

Last night passengers were also trapped in a Dublin bus by floodwater for a time and there has been widespread disruption to the public transport service in Dublin.

Also, major disruption was caused to shop owners last night in Dundrum Shopping Centre when the centre had to be evacuated due to the first floor flooding.

The River Slang burst its banks and created a surge of water, which flowed through the lower level of the centre.

In a recent statement the Garda have reported: "The main arterial routes are now open.

"However driving conditions are challenging and motorists are asked to be aware of debris on the roads following last night's heavy rain.

"The local authorities are currently working to clear debris and obstructions," said the statement.

Meanwhile transport services in and around the capital were returning to normal this morning, with commuters however still experiencing some delays.

Irish Rail warned passengers that while services on DART, Northern Commuter and Maynooth lines resumed, there are significant delays of up to an hour in some cases.

The delays were down to speed restrictions and flood damage to signalling equipment.

Dublin Bus said most of its services are operating as normal today, however adverse weather conditions mean a number of diversions and curtailments are in place, details of which can be found on the company's website.

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(LB/BMcC)