Man lucky to be alive after spending threes hours in water

Lithuanian lucky to be alive after spending threes hours in water


Anton McNulty

A Lithuanian national who slipped on rocks while fishing in Achill had a lucky escape after he survived three hours in the sea before being rescued by the Achill Coast Guard.
The 30-year-old had been fishing along the rocks near Purteen Harbour on Achill Island on Saturday afternoon when he slipped on the rocks and fell into the sea. The man could not get out of the water and was clinging onto a buoy tied to a Lobster pot for nearly three hours before he was eventually rescued.
A spokeperson for the Achill Coast Guard told The Mayo News said the individual was extremely lucky to have survived having spent so long in the sea and urged people to be extremely vigilant when near the water.
“All in all the rescued man was about three hours in the water and all he was thinking of was how cold he was. He said he tried to keep moving and all the time was clinging onto a buoy. At the time it was a very windy day and he was a very lucky man. We would ask people to be vigilant when near the sea and always wear a personalised floatation device and tell people where they are going,” the spokesperson said.
The Lithuanian had been fishing with two friends during the morning but was on his own when he fell in the water shortly after 3pm. One of his friends had gone to a local hotel to watch a football match and raised the alarm when he returned at approximately 5pm. However, he could not identify his location to the emergency services other than to say he was in Achill and it was a half an hour before the emergency services were able to determine his location.
The Coast Guard helicopter and lifeboat were scrambled along with the RNLI lifeboat and after being taken from the water, the man was airlifted to hospital. He was treated for hypothermia and was eventually released from hospital on Monday morning.
Meanwhile the Achill Coast Guard have asked the public not to park in the yellow box outside their new headquarters in Achill Sound. The Coast Guard station is located beside the parish church and some motorist continue to park in the yellow box despite being asked not to dod so.
“If someone parks in the yellow box in front of our building the jeep and boat is not able to turn in the space and we ask people not to park there. When dealing with emergencies every second counts,” the spokesperson said.