A fisherman who lost his life in a freak accident off the Cork coast earlier this week will be repatriated to Ghana.
Moses Odonkor, 53, sustained fatal injuries while working on a trawler on Monday off the Porcupine Bank near the Blasket Islands, Sundaworld.com reports.
Despite desperate efforts by his crewmates to assist him, he was pronounced dead before emergency services could be dispatched. Following the incident, the trawler immediately returned to Castletownbere.
Originally from Ghana, Mr Odonkor had lived in Ireland for over 20 years, most recently in Skibbereen.
He is survived by his wife, Philomena, and sons, Isaac and Emmanuel. In 2023, his two-year-old son, Joshua, tragically passed away after choking on a grape.
A prayer service for Mr Odonkor took place at Hurley & O’Sullivan’s Funeral Home in Skibbereen this afternoon shortly before 3 pm.
A notice on RIP.ie states that he will be repatriated to Ghana “at a later date.”
It is believed that Mr Odonkor suffered critical injuries while heavy nets were being deployed into the fishing grounds. He was rendered unresponsive immediately after the accident, and his crewmates were unable to revive him.
The tragedy occurred within Irish territorial waters.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that the incident is being treated as a workplace accident.
“The Marine Casualty Investigation Unit, Marine Survey Office, Health and Safety Authority and the local coroner have all been notified,” a Garda spokesperson confirmed.
Chairman of the Lost At Sea charity, Niall Duffy, expressed the fishing community’s grief over the incident.
