A young man was killed instantly after his car went over a cliff in Tramore, Co Waterford on Sunday at about 9.30pm. The incident occurred next to the pier and close to a popular bathing spot, the Guillamene.
The man was pronounced dead when reached by the rescue services.
The area was sealed off yesterday while members of the Garda Mapping Section in Tramore and Waterford Co Council officials carried out separate inquiries.
Local sources suggested that the car climbed up the short, grassy incline and projected about 120ft over a grassy embankment before landing on its side at the cliff face.
It is understood the car then travelled approximately 130ft from the cliff's edge before landing on its roof near the rocks about 80ft below.
Local man Jason Keane, who helped to lift the car with a crane yesterday morning, said: "He must have been going some speed . . . I'd say over 100 miles an hour because he cleared all the shrubs.
"His front and rear axle were intact so he obviously landed on his side before it took off again . . . the car was on its roof when we found it this morning.
"There was clay on the tyres and on the driver's door and on the rear. I put the chains on the car before the crane lifted it."
Locals peered over the wall separating the road and the embankment down to the cliff edge yesterday afternoon, while friends and family laid flowers.
A resident of Cliff Road yesterday said the road, which has a 30mph speed limit, is often overrun with speeding cars at "all times of the day".
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/53712a17-7f59-4786-ab4a-d45153e935c4.png)