The Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked this afternoon to an incident involving a 41ft Cruiser which became stuck ag Killaloe Bridge.
At 4:55pm the alarm raised by the skipper of the vessel reporting he had lost engine power and drifting towards Killaloe Bridge. There were four persons on board.
A Coast Guard crew responded within minutes but due to the strong currents the cruiser had already struck the bridge causing damage to the vessel. A crew member was transferred to the casualty vessel where the four people on board were safe and unharmed.
An assessment of the damage was carried out and was found to be taking on water but was damaged above the water line.
The occupants of the vessel were transferred to the Coast Guard rescue boat and dropped to a jetty on the Clare shore where Coast Guard shore team members were on hand to assist.
The rescue boat crew then returned to the vessel and a tow line was prepared. The cruiser was then towed to safety and secured at the jetty with the help of the shore team. The vessel was again checked by the crew and it was confirmed it was not taking on water.
The recovery effort was coordinated by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry.
It’s been a busy week for the volunteers with four incidents in the last seven days.
Killaloe Coast Guard reminds the public: “If you see someone in difficulty on or near water, please call 112/999 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
In 2019, a similar incident occurred at the same bridge in Killaloe/Ballina and resulted in six people being evacuated from the vessel.