Local RNLI lifeboats rescue 260 during summer 2004

Emergency search and rescue statistics published today by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) show that despite the wet summer, 2004 saw more than 260 people rescued at sea by volunteer lifeboat crews in Northern Ireland waters.

The busiest RNLI lifeboat station in Northern Ireland was Enniskillen, Lough Erne which launched 39 times, rescuing 85 people.

The busiest local RNLI lifeboat station on the coast was Portrush, with 38 launches resulting in the rescue of 51 people, followed by Bangor lifeboat station, with 31 launches rescuing 44 people, and Kilkeel lifeboat station had 28 launches rescuing 14 people.

Colin Williams, RNLI Divisional Inspector for Northern Ireland said: “This has been a busy year for our volunteer crews. It may surprise people that the number of launches at Enniskillen is so high.

“We believe that this is due to the increasing number of holidaymakers hiring pleasure cruisers without having any prior boating experience. This leads to more people getting into difficulty and requiring urgent assistance.”

The RNLI operates 233 lifeboat stations around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland, and of the 4,700 crew over 4,500 are volunteers.

In total, the charity’s fleet of 330 lifeboats around the British Isles launched a total of 7,656 times, rescuing 7,507 people – an average of 21 people every day.

(MB)