Tourists rescued from Dublin sand bank after rising tide traps them

Four tourists were trapped on a sand bank on Thursday evening due to a rising tide in north Co Dublin.

The people were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after a paddle boarder alerted the body to the incident, which occurred on the sand bank between Burrow Beach in Sutton and Portmarnock beach.

The boat had been on routine exercise at the time of the alert and diverted to attend the incident.

Four tourists had swum out to the sand bank, but became trapped due to a fast incoming spring tide

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The paddle boarder rescued the first tourist, while the other three were taken aboard the Coast Guard boat and brought back to Burrow Beach.

None of the people involved required any further medical attention, the Irish Coast Guard said in a statement, adding that 10 minutes after the tourists were rescued, the sandbar was no longer visible.

“We are grateful to the paddle boarder for his actions is helping resolve the incident quickly,” the statement said.

Separately the Coast Guard rescued a person who had become trapped on a cliff in Rush, Co Dublin.

Skerries Coast Guard and RNLI lifeboat were tasked along side Howth Coast Guard as the cliff rescue team for Dublin.

A rescue climber from Howth descended the cliff using specialised equipment and secured the person who was then lifted to the cliff top.

The Coast Guard said the trapped person did “exactly the right thing” by staying where they were after they asked for help.

“A key message this weekend is if you do see someone who even if you are only slightly concerned about their safety on the coast call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. If you can and it’s safe to do stay there until the rescue team arrives. As last night’s incident shows every minute counts when someone gets into trouble on the water.”

Meanwhile, the Irish Coast Guard in Dún Laoghaire has criticised “unacceptable behaviour” by jet skis operating in the south Dublin area.

The rescue body said members of the public were operating the devices “dangerously” at the Forty Foot swimming area on Wednesday.

Under the council area’s beach bylaws, jet skis must not be operated within 300 metres of the foreshore and can only operate outside the hours of 10am to 7.30pm, it added.