Woman rescued after spending night on Kerry mountain

A woman who went missing on Mangerton Mountain near Killarney yesterday afternoon has been rescued by Kerry Mountain Rescue.

The woman, who raised the alarm using her mobile phone at about 3.30pm yesterday, spent the night on the mountain in Killarney National Park after rescue teams failed to reach her due to poor weather conditions.

Gerry Christie, training officer with Kerry Mountain Rescue, said the woman was in a stable condition after spending a night outdoors on the mountain.

“She is walking down the mountain as we speak,” Mr Christie told The Irish Times this morning.

The rescue team has recommended the woman go to hospital for a check-up. While it is mild at ground level, temperatures are considerably lower on the mountain due to a combination of wind and rain and the rescue team is concerned that she may be suffering from hypothermia.

Mr Christie said “fairly horrendous” weather conditions on the mountain overnight prevented rescue teams from reaching the woman who was believed to be stuck on a mountain ridge.

“I was within 30 to 50 metres of her last night but it was hard to say with the wind and clouds,” said Mr Christie.

“We went back at first light this morning and sent somebody down on a rope who made almost immediate visual contact.”

The woman was brought up to the summit using a rope and from there walked down the mountain to meet family members waiting at the base.

Mr Christie said a team of about 35 members was involved in the rescue.

He said Kerry Mountain Rescue receives up to 40 emergency call-outs a year and said it was unusual to leave someone on a mountain overnight.

“Moving in the dark last night was more dangerous than leaving her,” said Mr Christie.

“The risks were unacceptable.”