At around  3pm today [27-MAR-10], the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association (SEMRA) were called out to deal with another incident on the Comeragh mountains in Co. Waterford. A member of a walking group had fallen and sustained a lower leg injury. The mountain rescue team issued a full team call out to all its members and within 20 minutes had a 4x4 and six members in the Nire valley. The team also called the MRCC "Marine Rescue Coordinating Centre" in Dublin and requested the assistance of the Coast Guard helicopter from Waterford. The helicopter was tasked to go to the area known a the "Knockanaffrin Ridge" where it located the injured walker. After her injury was treated she was winched aboard and flown to Waterford regional hospital. Mountain rescue members accompanied the rest of the walking group off the mountains.

This is the second incident in the Comeragh mountains in the last three days and the fourth that mountain rescue and the Coast Guard have dealt with in the south east in the last 10 days. Michael Power, the mountain rescue team leader, said "As a voluntary organisation the last few days have been very busy, but all the training we do with the crews of the Coast Guard S61 in Waterford means we can respond quickly and make the best use of all our combined resources available for the benefit of the people that were injured and lost".
   
SEMRA would like to thank every one for their help today, the Crew of the helicopter, the walking group, its own members, and especially all at Hanoras Cottage in the Nire valley for allowing the team access to phones as mobile phone reception was very bad in the area.

SEMRA is a 999/112 volunteer mountain search and rescue service covering all the mountains of the south east of Ireland.

Jimmy Barry
SEMRA Public Relations Officer
www.semra.ie
M 087 2975178