Seven people were rescued from an eight-metre (26ft) yacht which capsized and sank in the Shannon estuary on Saturday evening. It was the second vessel to founder in the area in as many weeks.
The incident occurred between Scattery Island and Hog Island off Kilrush, Co Clare, at 4.30pm. The seven people on board the Kilrush-based Truant were picked up a short time later by another boat. All were taken safely ashore at Kilrush.
The Kilrush RNLI lifeboat went to the scene and confirmed to the Irish Coast Guard that all persons were accounted for but that the yacht had sunk.
"It was close to the shore and not a danger to shipping," an RNLI spokesman confirmed. The Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter was also sent to the scene.
Last week, a 11.3m (37 ft) Killaloe-based motor cruiser, the Regina IV, which was en route from Dingle, Co Kerry, to Kilrush, caught fire and sank near the Ballybunion buoy at the mouth of the estuary.
The owner and his wife managed to jump to the safety of another nearby cruiser. Both were unharmed and were taken to Kilrush marina.
Kilrush and Fenit RNLI lifeboats as well as the Ballybunion rescue service were involved in that rescue operation. The cruiser sank within an hour of catching fire.