A man and woman were airlifted to safety from the Black Valley in Killarney yesterday morning after getting into difficulty kayaking on Saturday evening.
The man and woman, believed to be siblings, were stranded on an island in the Gearhameen river overnight and forced to wait for flood waters to recede after losing their oars.
A spokesman for Valentia Coast Guard said the kayakers were stranded in the Black Valley river in Co Kerry at about 7.45pm on Saturday.
Killarney Garda station called for assistance from the Coast Guard after the alarm was raised.
The spokesman said the Coast Guard launched a rescue helicopter on Saturday evening but was unable to lift the pair from the island due to darkness, trees and stormy weather conditions.
Killarney Lake Rescue attended the scene and managed to get food, dry clothes and a tent to the man and woman stranded on the island. The rescue team remained with the pair overnight.
The rescue helicopter returned at 8.15 yesterday morning and successfully lifted the kayakers to safety.
The Coast Guard spokesman said the pair were in good condition and did not need medical attention.
