An award-winning young Irish student was electrocuted while taking a shower on holiday in Greece, it was revealed yesterday.
Alex McKee, 17, from Cork city collapsed on the spot on Sunday morning on the Aegean Sea island of Kimolos. He was a fifth-year student of Terence MacSwiney Community College in Knocknaheeny, on Cork city’s northside.
Alex recently won an award for his science work and had been due to start his Leaving Cert year next month. Local police said he died as a result of being electrocuted.
A spokesman said: ‘There was clearly some sort of wiring fault. It was instant.’
The Greek police have also requested that an expert be brought in immediately to inspect the electrical wiring in the stone house the family are believed to have rented.
Speaking about the family, the police spokesman added: ‘They were much loved on Kimolos. They visited regularly. They have connections to Greece. His mother comes from Kimolos.’
Alex gained national recognition earlier this year when he was part of an award-winning Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition project, which gained national acclaim. He and two classmates developed a breakthrough communications system called ‘Bumblebee’ for people with non-verbal autism.
The project won first place in its category, as well as a Special Award from the Ombudsman for Children’s Office.
Paying tribute, FG TD for Cork North-Central Colm Burke said: ‘It is extremely sad to hear that someone so young has died so tragically. He was a really talented young person with his whole life and a huge career ahead of him.
‘Earlier this year, he put a huge effort into getting to that stage in the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and was rewarded for his efforts.’
A postmortem was due to be carried out yesterday in a hospital in Piraeus, near Athens, which will determine the cause of death.
Investigators are focusing on the electrical installation of the building and the official installer’s declaration, according to reports in the Ekathimerini news website in Greece.
Authorities are looking into the building certificate, as well as the overall condition of the electrical installation of the house to determine whether the required safety standards were met, and whether there was any damage that could be linked to the student’s death.
Based on the information so far, the most likely scenario is that Alex’s death was caused by electric shock. Authorities said ‘there was clearly some sort of wiring fault. It was instant’.
Alex was visiting the island with his Greek-born mother and his sister. His father is Irish. It’s understood the family have relatives on the island where his mum hails from.
Former Lord Mayor of Cork and sitting Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald said that it was desperately upsetting to hear of the death of such a ‘vibrant and talented’ young man.
‘This is such a tragic accident. It is very sad for his family and his fellow students who were expecting to start the school year with him in a few weeks’ time. President Connolly visited the school a few months ago to recognise the vision and achievements of students at the school. This is a huge shock. Every effort will be made to support the family going forward.’
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is ‘aware of the case and is providing consular assistance to the family’.
Reporting by Seán Ryan and Olivia Kelleher
