Volunteers from Co Clare were involved in the rescue of a man who became stuck in a cave in Northern Ireland yesterday.
Members of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) were mobilised from locations across the country to assist with the rescue operation at Cuilcagh in Co Fermanagh.
The man is reported to have become too tired to progress while he was on the return leg of a planned caving trip in a system on the Marlbank on the north side of Cuilcagh Mountain.
After the alarm was raised at 8.55pm on Saturday, local ICRO volunteers arrived to the scene soon afterwards while other members from across Ireland were put on alert at 10.45pm.
ICRO rescue team members reached the man quickly and assessed his condition. A “hot point” was then established underground where the man was cared for.
Meanwhile, rock breaking and rescue rigging teams engineered a bypass to a constricted section of passage near the entrance. This allowed the man to be hauled up via the new route to the surface.
ICRO volunteers worked late into the night to free the caver who was brought safely to the surface and rescue teams were stood down at 4.00am today. The man is not believed to have suffered any injuries.
ICRO has thanked all of its volunteers for travelling through the night and assisting with this successful outcome. Around 20 volunteers from both sides of the border responded to assist with the operation including from Larne, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Clare.
The Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) is a national voluntary organisation and registered charity, which is made up of active cavers from across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Volunteers can be called upon in the event of accidents in caves, potholes, abandoned mines and surface shafts anywhere in the 32 counties.