The RNLI and Irish Coast Guard rescued four people and a dog in separate incidents on Lough Derg this afternoon.
The first incident involved a cruiser, with one man on board, that ran aground north of the mouth of the Scarriff River in Co Clare.
The Dromineer-based Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat alerted and launched by 4.14pm. The volunteer crew located the vessel and set up a tow before taking into safe water.
After confirming the cruiser hadn’t been damaged, the lifeboat accompanied the casualty vessel up the Scarriff river with a crew member on board. Once the cruiser was safely tied up, the crew member transferred back to the lifeboat and the team was stood down.
At around the same time, the Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked to assist three people and a dog after their 27-foot cruiser suffered engine failure about two miles north of Killaloe.
Without power, the vessel was blown onto the Clare shore however those on board managed to drop their anchor.
Killaloe Coast Guard dispatched a boat crew and a shore team who travelled to the scene by road. A crew member was transferred to the casualty vessel and set up a tow line. The cruiser was then taken on tow back to Killaloe where it was safely tied up.
No one was injured in either incident.
Last Thursday, the Lough Derg lifeboat assisted four adults and three children after their 60-foot cruiser lost steering and ran aground.
During the first week of April, a total of 20 people were assisted or rescued by search and rescue services on Lough Derg.
In one incident, six men had to be rescued by Killaloe Coast Guard after their cruise boat collided with a bridge.
