An injured man was airlifted off Tuskar Rock lighthouse last night before being taken to Waterford Airport, where an ambulance was waiting to bring him to hospital.
The man in question had been working on Tuskar Rock, which is situated 11KM off the south-east coast of County Wexford.
At 2AM this morning, the Rosslare Harbour RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew received a request from the Irish Coast Guard asking them to attend to an injured person at the lighthouse.
Upon reaching the scene, the crew members deployed their Y class rescue boat. However, due to a heavy ocean swell, it soon became clear that a landing at the rock was not possible.
Fortunately, Lifeboat Operations Manager David Maloney had anticipated the difficult landing conditions and had previously requested the help of the Rescue 117 helicopter from Waterford.
The airlift was successfully carried out by the Rescue 117 helicopter while the Rosslare Harbour RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew remained in the area.
Commenting afterwards, Rosslare Harbour RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager David Maloney said: ‘The lifeboat crew were quite correct in not attempting to land on the rock due to a heavy Atlantic swell. We wish the man a full recovery.’
