'Devoted' father dies after becoming stuck in indoor rock climbing centre for four hours

A “devoted” father of three died after becoming trapped in a narrow tunnel for four hours at a rock climbing centre.

Carl O'Keeffe, 49, died in hospital eight days after the accident at the Kong Adventure centre in Keswick, Cumbria. He suffered “severe” crush injuries after becoming stuck inside the indoor cave on April 22, his sister Olivia Short said.

Ms Short told The Telegraph she has been by her brother’s side since the accident.

Emergency services including six fire engine crews and at least two mountain rescue teams were scrambled to rescue Mr O’Keeffe after staff at the centre failed to extricate him.

After four hours and seven minutes, rescuers managed to break apart the climbing wall panels to gain access to the tunnel and free him. Around 50 people were involved in the rescue attempt.

The father-of-three, described by his family as a “devoted dad”, was taken to Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle where he remained until his death on Monday afternoon.

Family 'in trauma'

Ms Short said her brother's teenage daughter was “in trauma”. She added that shortly before he died, Mr O'Keeffe was read a poem by one of his children.

In a post on Facebook, she paid tribute to her “baby brother” and “best friend”.

“I loved him dearly and we were in contact daily doing word challenges and exchanging weird facts of nature. I also got to spend alternate weekends with him and his children," she wrote.

“I have been with him since his accident in Keswick on Saturday Apr 22. He was taken to Carlisle hospital intensive care with crush injuries. It became apparent that the injuries were severe and he would not be able to survive.

“He was then moved to a private room and I was able to stay with him so that he could die with some dignity…. I'm broken-hearted. As are the rest of our family.”

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team told The Telegraph: “We are saddened to hear of the loss of Carl. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone involved.”

Investigation into incident

Cumberland Council confirmed it was investigating the incident.

In a series of Facebook posts, Ms Short revealed her brother had been taking his niece into an indoor cave during a birthday party when the accident took place.

Another family member told ITV news that Mr O’Keeffe, a keen astronomer, had been applying to study for an astrophysics PhD at the time of his death.

They said: “He was a strong advocate for the neurodiverse community. He taught people to learn what adjustments they needed in life and to not only accept them but to live them.

"He was often seen in dark glasses and a fedora hat as he was photophobic. He had a brilliant mind and was in the process of applying to start an astrophysics PhD.

"He was fascinated by solar storms and had been predicting the one that happened this week while he slept. He spent years having the Nasa Hubble photos tattooed onto his arm."

A spokesman for Kong Adventure Centre said they were “shocked and saddened” to hear of his death, adding: “Our thoughts at this time are with the family, friends and everyone involved.”

Cumbria Police said it will investigate the circumstances of Mr O’Keeffe’s death on behalf of the coroner.