Stranded couple rescued from Dublin bay sandbank
A couple and their dog were winched to safety on rescue helicopters after becoming stranded on a sandbank in Dublin Bay.
The pair were noticed by the Garda Air Support Unit as it flew over Sandymount Strand around noon.
Officers alerted the Irish Coast Guard, which also scrambled a helicopter to the scene. Dun Laoghaire lifeboat was also launched.
A Garda spokesman said the Air Support Unit began a rescue operation when it noticed the pair walking the dog were in “serious danger”.
“They were getting surrounded by the incoming tide and hadn’t realised it,” he said.
The Garda helicopter landed on the sandbank and picked up one of the couple.
The Coast Guard helicopter rescued the second person and their dog.
Dun Laoghaire lifeboat said it could only get to within a quarter of a mile of the area because of the shallow water.
“All casualties were uninjured in the incident,” said a spokesman.
“Sandymount Strand has various sandbanks which can be deceptive during incoming tides that can cut off walkers from the shore in a short space of time.”
