Two anglers rescued after freak wave hits boat in Lough Swilly

Two sea anglers were rescued on Saturday when their boat was hit by a freak wave in Lough Swilly.

One of the angers was injured in the incident and was treated after the pair were brought ashore.

The Lough Swilly RNLI was tasked by the Malin Head Coast Guard after the angers, who had just finished fishing for the day off Carryblagh.

Their boat was hit by a freak wave and the Atlantic Inshore Lifeboat Crew was quickly on scene and removed both casulties from their boat.

The pair were transferred onto the all-weather Shannon Class Lifeboat which was also on scene so the injured angler could receive casualty care.

An ambulance was also tasked by Malin Head Coast Guard and the crew took the anglers to Buncrana Pier to receive further medical treatment.

Lough Swilly press officer, Joe Joyce paid tribute to the crew.

He said: "This had been a busy few days for our station. We train for this kind of scenario all year and I would like to publicly thank all our volunteers for the effort they have put in this week.

“Remember if you're in difficulty in or on the water, or see someone in trouble, please dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”

On Wednesday nuight, the Lough Swilly RNLI went to the assistance of a strickn 36-foot yacht which got into difficulty close to Inishtrahull, an island seven nautical miles off Malin Head while competing in the Round Ireland Race.

The yacht lost power and the sails were tangled in the mast and the yacht was initially taken to Culdaff Bay and placed on a mooring.

In challenging weather conditions, a yacht member managed to release the sails and the boat was towed to Greencastle by the Lough Swilly team.

The previous day, the crew responded to a false alarm after a red flare was sighted off the coast.