A young woman was seriously injured after she struck rocks on Wednesday afternoon while cliff-diving at Maxwell’s Leap at Old Head, near Louisburgh. The Achill Island Lifeboat was dispatched to the scene at 4pm and used the ‘daughter boat’ from the rocks below the cliff to transfer the woman to the main lifeboat before she was airlifted to Mayo General hospital by the Coast Guard helicopter which was dispatched to the scene from Shannon.
It has been reported that the woman was with her sister at the time who was able to pull her from the water to the rocks to await assistance after she became injured on entering the sea.
Minister of State, Michael Ring congratulated the staff and volunteers of the Westport Coast Guard, Achill Lifeboat, and Mayo Mountain Rescue teams who came to the aid of the woman. Minister Ring said “It was a very difficult operation. Communications between rescue services were made difficult by the nature of the incident site, however the team were able to transfer her to the R115 Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter. Once again it shows the tremendous work that is done all over the country by staff and volunteers of our rescue crews.” Minister Ring wished the young woman and her family well.
