Belfast
Coastguard tasked the RNLI lifeboat from Portrush, the crew
managing to rescue 3 students from the water, whilst 7 managed
to get back to safety unaided. The final member of the group
struggled to the shore and attempted to climb the cliff only to
get stuck on a ledge. The Irish Coast Guard scrambled their
rescue helicopter after no British helicopters were available
and was able to airlift the student from the cliff edge to the
Dunluce Castle carpark before joining the 3 rescued by boat for
a check over at Coleraine Hospital.
All 11 students are uninjured, some having suffered from
shock and hypothermia.
Belfast Coastguard Watch Manager, Liam Colquhoun commented,
"The rescue this evening was a success due to the
co-operation between the emergency services involved, who worked
together racing against time to ensure a positive outcome.
"Things could have been very different for these young
people, the water is at it’s coldest about this time of year
and if they had been in the water 10 or so minutes longer we may
have been facing a different outcome tonight; the student on the
cliff was certainly helped by the wetsuit he was wearing."
The north Antrim coast is popular with Northern Ireland
surfers, especially near the town of Portstewart and Portrush.
But the area also has some dangerous rips and currents.
