A jacket worn by a young girl swept into the sea in south Dublin during Storm Kathleen at the weekend helped to keep her floating until a rescue boat was able to reach her, an RNLI member has said.
The child, believed to be aged around seven, was walking with a man and another child near Dún Laoghaire’s East Pier on Saturday night when she fell into the water.
A number of people in the area tried to rescue the girl by throwing buoyancy aids or entering the water themselves, but those efforts were not successful as the sea was too rough and she had been carried too far from the pier. One of the would-be rescuers needed assistance to get out of the water.
However, members of the Dún Laoghaire RNLI launched their rigid inflatable boat (RIB) and managed to get close to the girl just before 8.30pm. Her jacket was keeping her afloat and one of the rescuers then entered the water and reached the girl. Both were then pulled back into the boat by two others on board.
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The operation involved the RNLI, Garda, ambulance service and Dublin Fire Brigade, while the Coast Guard’s Rescue 116 helicopter was also deployed for a time.
Andrew Sykes, one of the rescuers on the RNLI lifeboat, said the crew managed to rescue the child less than nine minutes after receiving the emergency call.
“With the high winds and storm we were experiencing, with large waves and surge coming off the pier, to get alongside her was extremely difficult,” he said. “She would be pushed one way and we would be pushed another.”
Mr Sykes was the rescuer who entered the water, putting the girl on her back to ensure she could continue breathing. He then held her until his colleagues could get close enough in the RIB to take the child and then pull him back into the boat.
“She had a jacket on and capsules of air had become trapped in it – those kept her afloat,” he said of the child bobbing around on the surface as the rescue operation unfolded.
The girl was taken to hospital to be treated for her injuries, which were described as non-life threatening.
The section of pier which the girl fell from was said to be slippery, covered by seaweed and difficult to walk along. It is understood she fell into the water during the stormy conditions, at which point the man and other young girl she was with began to shout for help and the emergency services were notified.
[ Storm Kathleen: Clean-up continues as wind warning remains in place in some areasOpens in new window ]
Storm Kathleen passed over Ireland on Saturday, toppling trees in some areas and interrupting power supplies. At its peak on Saturday, some 34,000 properties were without electricity but the number had fallen to 2,000 by Sunday morning.
Heavy rain is expected in the southeast on Monday. A status yellow rain warning was issued for Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow and Waterford. It was to come in to effect from midnight on Sunday and remain in place for 24 hours. The forecaster said possible impacts could include flooding, poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions.
Rain is to extend to most areas on Monday, though parts of the northwest country may hold dry. The rain will persist for much of the day.
Some showers are expected on Tuesday, though it is set to be a largely dry day with sunny spells early on. Rain and drizzle will develop in the southwest on Tuesday night and will extend to most areas overnight. Wednesday is due to be dull, misty and wet with outbreaks of rain or drizzle continuing for much of the day.
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