Two young kayakers were spotted by the crew of a rescue helicopter on a deserted island off Co Mayo early yesterday after a search and rescue mission lasting several hours.
The alarm was raised when the pair, both believed to be from the Dublin area, failed to return to Frenchport Pier, near Belmullet, on Saturday evening having gone kayaking earlier in the day. The pair were camping on Inishglora Island, unaware of the drama they were causing, when they were spotted by the crew of the rescue helicopter.
Harry McCallum, operations manager of Ballyglass lifeboat, which put to sea as part of the rescue operation, said yesterday: "These youngsters could have saved a lot of trouble and expense if they had gone to the trouble of informing us what their plans were."