LAST UPDATE | 25 Feb 2021

THE RNLI AND the Irish Coast Guard were called out to rescue a person after they got trapped in a sea inlet in west Cork this evening. 

The person had got trapped in the sea inlet just off the slipway at Dunworley Beach near Butlerstown. 

They had got caught in the swelling tide and her shouts for help were heard by a local walker who alerted rescue services. 

Once the personal crew bleepers were activated, an RNLI crew set off in the Courtmacsherry lifeboat and proceeded at full speed to the area of the casualty. 

The RNLI said conditions at sea were reasonable today, but there was a heavy swell flowing off the coastline. 

The lifeboat reached the area within 15 minutes and a major land-based rescue got underway involving a Coast Guard crew as they rigged themselves to climb down the sea inlet to access the casualty. The Coast Guard 115 helicopter from Shannon was also on scene. 

The Coast Guard personnel were able to bring the casualty up the cliff-face and to safe surroundings where waiting HSE ambulance personnel attended to her. 

The casualty had been in the sea inlet for over 90 minutes, according to the RNLI. 

“It has been an incredibly busy start to 2021 for our station in Courtmacsherry with nine callouts,” Courtmacsherry RNLI station LPO officer Vincent O’Donovan said. 

“It was great to see the total dedication of so many voluntary persons from all the rescue services today and everyday in these difficult Covid times, who drop all and rush to the aid of others in difficulties,” he said. 

O’Donovan reiterated the importance of calling the rescue services at 112 or 999 quickly once any incident like this occurs, as the various rescue services are always at the ready 24 hours a day.