Warning over use of inflatable devices in sea following Wicklow rescue

Members of the public have been urged not to use inflatable devices in the sea following the rescue of four people in Co Wicklow on Sunday afternoon.

Two teenage girls had been in the water off Silver Strand beach about 4.5km south of Wicklow town, on an inflatable device when they got into difficulties.

Two men, who had been on the beach with their families, went to rescue the girls and all four ended up stranded on nearby rocks.

They were reached by two Wicklow lifeboats, one of which was an inflatable rib. Rescue 116 helicopter also attended at the scene, from which a winchman lowered to the RNLI rib to assess the girls who were then airlifted to Dublin airport.

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Following an examination, the two girls were brought to Temple Street children’s hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises.

The lifeboat operations manager at Wicklow Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Mary Aldridge told RTE radio's Morning Ireland that the teenagers were "two very lucky girls".

Conditions had been sunny but windy, Ms Aldridge said. Even on a calm day, it was all too easy to be swept out to sea, she said.

Ms Aldridge said she was appealing to people not to use inflatable devices in the sea which were intended for use in a swimming pool. “We’ve seen crocodiles, flamingos, unicorns, dinosaurs, lilos. They can be lethal.”

She praised the quick action of the men on the beach and said the girls were lucky they had come to their aid.