A woman was rescued from a sea inlet in West Cork after a more than 90-minute ordeal yesterday evening, Thursday 25 February.
The casualty had got caught in the swelling tide just off the slipway at Dunworley Beach near Butlerstown before 5pm.
Fortunately her shouts for help were heard above the sinkhole leading to the inlet a local walker, who immediately called the rescue services.
Courtmacsherry RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat attended the scene alongside the Irish Coast Guard’s helicopter Rescue 115 from Shannon and the land-based Old Head/Seven Heads coastguard unit, who rigged up their ropes to climb down the sinkhole and reach the casualty.
The woman was then successfully raised up the sink hole cliff face to the care of a waiting HSE ambulance crew.
A woman in her 20s has been rescued after being washed into a cave & then getting trapped at Dunworely #WestCork. The rescue has been described as very complex. The casualty is now at home following her ordeal. @VirginMediaNews @IrishCoastGuard @RNLI @CourtmacRNLI @AmbulanceNAS pic.twitter.com/UXz0OguCku
— Paul Byrne (@PaulByrne_1) February 25, 2021
Courtmacsherry RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Vincent O'Donovan said: “It was great to see the total dedication of so many voluntary people 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.”
O'Donovan reiterated the importance of calling the rescue services at 112 or 999 quickly once any incident like this occurs, as they are always at the ready 24 hours a day — and every minute is so important to any person in difficulty.
