A tragedy was avoided yesterday morning when two women were rescued by the Dún Laoghaire lifeboat after falling into the sea in south Co Dublin.
A search-and-rescue operation was mounted by the lifeboat service after reports that the two young people were in difficulties.
The women, believed to be from Ballybrack and Dalkey, were on the east pier in Dún Laoghaire shortly before 4am with friends, when one of them fell in. The second young woman tried to help her friend but also got into difficulties.
Both girls were carried away on a fast flood tide and despite attempts by friends on shore, they could not be rescued. Onlookers contacted the emergency services and two Dún Laoghaire lifeboats were sent to the scene by the Dublin Coastguard.
The Garda helicopter became involved in the search and the girls were found using the lifeboat's night vision equipment. They were in open water off the west pier being carried westwards on the flood tide.
Both were brought ashore by the lifeboat to a waiting ambulance and taken to St Vincent's hospital. Eight lifeboat crew were involved in the 10-minute rescue along with units of the Fire Brigade. No one else was injured in the incident.
Stephen Wynne, lifeboat operations manager with RNLI Dún Laoghaire, who organised the operation from shore, said that the women were very lucky.
"Without the presence of the lifeboats, it would have been a very different story," he said.
