The community is “broken” after the death of an eight-year-old girl who went missing at a beach in Co Cork, Simon Coveney has said.

A major search was launched after the alarm was raised at Fountainstown Beach near Crosshaven at around 4.40pm on Tuesday.

Members of An Garda Siochana, the Coast Guard, the RNLI, fire services, and Mallow River Rescue were involved in the effort.

The body of the child was recovered from the water at around 7.45pm.

Speaking to the media in Co Wicklow ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Enterprise Minister and Cork TD Mr Coveney said it has been a summer of tragic deaths.

“We’ve also seen, particularly in my own home city of Cork, extraordinary tragedy again in the last 24 hours in terms of the drowning of a young eight-year-old girl,” he said.

“It’s been a desperate summer in the context of tragedy involving children, both on our roads and unfortunately with water accidents as well, two of them very close to where I live.

“The community is just broken again this morning.

“On behalf of the Government I want to say our thoughts are with the family and the community and the children who are going to school today with an empty seat.”

Last month, 14-year-old Jack O’Sullivan died after getting into difficulty while swimming at Passage West in Co Cork.

On Tuesday, another person lost their life in Irish waters.

A man in his 80s was taken from the water at Curracloe Beach in Co Wexford after falling ill.

The pensioner was pronounced dead at the scene.