Pockets of air in coat stored woman afloat after she was swept out to sea

Andrew Sykes was on board the RNLI lifeboat that reached the woman and pulled her out of the water inside eight and half minutes of receiving the emergency name on Saturday night.

The operation was mounted after the woman was swept out to sea from the east pier of Dun Laoghaire Harbour in Co Dublin at round 8.20pm.

The incident got here amid tough seas as Storm Kathleen hit Eire.

Mr Sykes, a volunteer helm with the RNLI, stated the stormy situations made the rescue operation troublesome.

“With the excessive winds and storm we had been experiencing, with massive waves and surge coming off the pier, to get alongside her was extraordinarily troublesome. She could be pushed a technique and we might be pushed one other,” he instructed the PA information company.

After two makes an attempt to succeed in the woman from throughout the boat, Mr Sykes entered the water to seize maintain of her and assist her onboard.

He stated she was calm and alert and was mendacity on her again within the water along with her arms out huge.

Mr Sykes stated the air trapped in her coat was essential.

“She had a jacket on and capsules of air had change into trapped in it – these stored her afloat,” he stated.

Ed Totterdell, lifeboat operations supervisor at Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Station, praised the talents of the crew members concerned within the rescue.

“It confirmed the expertise of the crew on board that they had been in a position to do it, they had been prepared for it,” he stated.

After being pulled from the water, the woman was taken to hospital for therapy for non-life-threatening accidents.

The Coast Guard, RNLI, Garda, ambulance service and Dublin hearth brigade had been all concerned within the operation.

The Coast Guard’s Rescue 116 helicopter was additionally deployed.

Dun Laoghaire Positive Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill praised the “extraordinary efforts” of the rescuers.

Fianna Fail TD Cormac Devlin described the rescuers as “heroic”.

“Thanks and I hope that the younger woman is recovering properly,” he posted on X, previously Twitter.

In an announcement on Sunday, the Garda stated: “Gardai assisted emergency companies within the rescue of a feminine little one who had gone into the water at Dun Laoghaire harbour yesterday night.

“The kid was rescued from the water by emergency companies and brought to hospital in south Dublin to be handled for non-life-threatening accidents.”

Round 34,000 prospects misplaced electrical energy provide on Saturday as Storm Kathleen swept throughout the island, with orange wind warnings in impact in southern and western components.

A couple of thousand prospects remained with out energy in a single day however by Sunday afternoon nearly all had had their provide restored.

A yellow wind warning protecting Donegal, Mayo and west Galway was lifted at 4pm on Sunday.