A 20-year-old University of Edinburgh student, Roxan Bastaens, tragically fell to her death at the Cliffs of Moher in May 2024 after slipping on a muddy trail near a large puddle close to the cliff edge, an inquest has heard.
At Clare Coroner’s Court in Kilrush on Friday, County Coroner Isobel O’Dea returned a verdict of accidental death, noting that Ms Bastaens’s fall near Hag’s Head was a tragic accident. The Belgian national had been studying in Edinburgh and was just weeks away from her 21st birthday.
Delivering her findings, Ms O’Dea told the family:
“Unfortunately, we have a number of deaths at the Cliffs of Moher each year and this was an absolute accident.” She added that post-mortem results confirmed Ms Bastaens died from multiple traumatic injuries caused by a fall from height, and assured her relatives that her death would have been instantaneous, sparing her any suffering.
This was the second accidental death recorded at the Cliffs in 2024. On 23 July, 12-year-old Zhihan Zhao also slipped near a puddle at the cliff edge and fell to his death.
Final Moments Recounted
Testimony from Ms Bastaens’s three friends—two French nationals and one Italian, all fellow Edinburgh students—was read into the record. The group had arrived in Doolin the night before, intending to hike the trail.
Italian student Guilia Bracchi, walking behind Ms Bastaens, recalled a “big puddle” obstructing the path as they headed south from the visitor centre. She said the trail had been initially protected by barriers but became slippery and exposed further along. Despite calm weather and proper footwear, the danger near the puddle proved fatal.
Ms Bracchi stated:
“Roxan had her camera in her hand and was looking at her steps as she walked around the puddle. Her foot went to the muddy side and she fell forward, tumbling down. I tried to catch her but couldn’t—it all happened so fast.”
French student Catherine Didier, walking just ahead, said she narrowly avoided slipping herself before witnessing Roxan lose balance and fall:
“I turned around and saw her slipping off the edge. I tried to lean towards her, but she was too far. I started panicking. I didn’t want to look down and see her fall.”
The fourth friend, Prune Dussud, said she only realised what had happened when she heard Ms Bracchi gasp:
“One second Roxan was there, and the next she was gone.”
Emergency Response
Garda Sarah Tubritt told the inquest she was alerted to the fall at 1:25 p.m. on 4 May. The RNLI recovered Ms Bastaens’s body from the water at 3:10 p.m., with support from the Doolin Coastguard and the R1115 helicopter. She was pronounced dead at the Coastguard station. Toxicology tests confirmed no presence of alcohol or drugs.
Following the deaths of Ms Bastaens and Mr Zhao, the Clare Local Development Company closed off large sections of the Cliffs of Moher trail on 22 August 2024. The closures remain in place amid continuing safety concerns.
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