Forty-five tourists rescued from boat on River Liffey

A total of 45 tourists were rescued from a water taxi on the River Liffey on Sunday after the vessel lost power and struck the Millennium Bridge. There were no injuries.

Dublin Fire Brigade’s river boat and three fire engines were involved in the rescue which took about 25 minutes to complete.

“It seems the vessel lost power and drifted and then came in contact with the bridge,” a spokesman for the fire brigade said.

The crew used a number of ladders to help people up to the quayside, while its river boat was used to help some older passengers to disembark.

“It was a successful rescue, but in a tricky location, with a strong current and the tide was going out. The crew had to manoeuvre the vessel to make sure it didn’t move when they stated to remove the passengers,” the spokesman added.

While there were no injuries, officials from Dublin City Council inspected the bridge afterwards, which was closed to pedestrian traffic.

The contact appeared to be a “glancing collision”, according to passengers on board.

A water taxi service operated by Liffey River Cruises has been operating on the river for several years.