The body of Sgt John Lynch, the Irish UN soldier killed in a helicopter crash in south Lebanon on Wednesday, will be flown back to Ireland tomorrow.
An Air Corps aircraft is flying to London to collect the body when it arrives from Tel Aviv, Israel, where the bodies of the four Italian helicopter crew and Sgt Lynch were taken for post-mortem after the crash.
Sgt Lynch, who is survived by his wife, Rosario, a young son and a daughter, was taking a lift with the helicopter crew from UNIFIL headquarters, at Naqoura, to the Irish Battalion Headquarters at Tibnin in southern Lebanon, when the helicopter apparently suffered a loss of control and crashed. All five men died instantly.
Sgt Lynch's remains will be met with full military honours at Baldonnel Aerodrome. His funeral will be at Cill Mhuire Church, Ballymanny, Newbridge, Co Kildare.