South East Mountain Rescue had a busy day last Sunday 25th January in the Comeraghs (The Club is extremely grateful for the dedicated volunteers of SEMRA) where coincidentally the Club was also walking – they were thankfully not involved in either incident; their report is below! The photo shows the rather misty scene on the lunch break which was taken during a very windy route along the Knockanaffrin Ridge led by Turlough and John
“South East Mountain Rescue responded to two separate incidents in the Comeragh Mountains today (Sunday, January 25th).
At 1320hrs a call was received from An Garda Siochana in Waterford, seeking assistance for a female hillwalker who had sustained a lower leg injury while descending the western shoulder of Coumtay. She was reported to be on steep ground and in the company of a group of some twenty walkers. Weather conditions at the casualty site were reported as being of high winds and poor visibility.
South Eastern Mountain Rescue Team was placed on Full Team Callout status along with neighbouring team, Tramore Cliff and Mountain Rescue Team.
At 1500hrs while responding to the incident in Coumtay, Mountain Rescue was notified of a second incident, another female walker with a lower leg injury, near to Lake Coumshingaun around 6 kilometres to the North-East of the first incident.
Fortunately, the cloud base was higher and the winds more favourable at this location and Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 117, was tasked. With the assistance of Mountain Rescue personnel and National Ambulance Service Paramedics on scene, this second casualty was airlifted to nearby Rathgormack GAA playing field for transfer to a HSE-NAS ambulance and onward transport to University Hospital Waterford.
Meanwhile in Coumtay, a large scale Mountain Rescue operation was underway involving thirty rescuers from two teams, a technical lower down 400m of steep slope, followed by a 500m stretcher carry over broken ground, a river crossing, and an off-road drive in a Land Rover before the casualty was transferred to a HSE-NAS ambulance at the roadhead, at 1930hrs, some six hours after the initial 999 call. This casualty was also transferred to University Hospital Waterford.
South Eastern Mountain Rescue Team wishes both ladies a speedy return to fitness.
A high level of inter-agency co-operation was a necessity for today’s incidents and we wish to thank our colleagues in the following agencies for their professionalism and support: An Garda Siochana Waterford and Kilmacthomas; The National Ambulance Service; The Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Dublin and Rescue 117 Waterford; and Tramore Cliff and Mountain Rescue Team.
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