Two men die in bridge tragedy
The three men were carrying out maintenance work on Thomond Bridge in County Limerick, in the Republic of Ireland Twitter

Two men have died after falling from Thomond Bridge in County Limerick, in the Republic of Ireland. The men were carrying out maintenance work when the tragic incident occurred on Saturday at 3:30pm. A third man is believed to be unhurt.

The three men were reportedly wearing safety harnesses tied to a cage, which was suspended from a crane, when the cage broke away. One of the men managed to free his harness, but the two others were trapped in the cage as it fell into the water.

Tom Cusack from Limerick marine search and rescue was at the scene. "The first thing we met was one of the workers floating down the river with a life jacket," he told BBC news. "So we took him into the boat and he informed us that two of his colleagues were trapped underwater in this cage. We continued on up to the location, the cage was just maybe two feet underwater, and the two men were trapped inside."

Rescue teams freed the men from their harnesses and brought them ashore. They were taken to University Hospital Limerick where they were later pronounced dead. The Health and Safety Authority in the Republic of Ireland is expected to start an investigation.