Wicklow’s mountain rescue teams were contacted by Gardaí at approximately 19:30 this evening to report that a male walker was lost on Lugnaquilla Mountain in Co. Wicklow, scene of numerous mountain rescue incidents each year.
The man and his 3 companions had begun their walk earlier in the day from Fenton’s pub, a familiar location for walkers visiting the area, and all had successfully climbed Lugnaquilla late in the evening. Whilst descending from the mountain the group of 4 walkers had become disoriented and eventually lost their way. Visibility was reported to be quite poor, estimated at less than 5 meters, with moderate rainfall at the time. It was during this time that the man became separated from his friends.
A short while after making the call for assistance, the man had managed to locate the rest of his group, and all 4 then remained where they were on the hill to make it easier for rescuers to locate them. Members of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team and Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team located the group at approximately 22:30. An experienced medic in the search party confirmed all were in good health, so rescuers lead the group from the hill to awaiting 4×4 transport, and then onwards to their own vehicles.
The teams were stood down at 23:30, concluding another successful search operation for the Glen of Imaal Red Cross and Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue teams. Wicklow’s mountain rescue teams would like to thank all agencies who co-operated on this operation for their assistance.
Incident Stats
Number: 33-2009
Tasking Agency: Gardai
Callout Officer: G. Ward
Incident Date: 30-08-2009
Incident Time: 19:30hrs
Incident Type: Search
Incident Site Grid Ref: T 024 905
Mobile Phone Used to Alert Emergency Services: Yes
