Strangford Lough Dinghy Racing Hit By Stormy Weather

Strangford Lough Dinghy Racing Hit By Stormy Weather – Major Incident Declared

11th August 2014

#coastguard – The Coastguard is this afternoon coordinating a rescue response after approximately 100 sailing dinghies at the GP14 world championships hosted by East Down Yacht Club were hit by stormy weather on Strangford Lough. A major incident has been declared.

Belfast Coastguard was first contacted just before 2pm reporting that some of the boats had capsized, while others were struggling to cope in the strong winds and squally showers.

The Bangor and Portaferry Coastguard Rescue Teams, the Portaferry and Newcastle RNLI lifeboats, the Irish Coast Guard helicopter along with the helicopter from RAF Valley have been sent to the scene.

It is not clear at this time how many people are involved and if there are any injuries. A search and rescue operation is ongoing.

Further update as we have it

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