A farmer who suffered “serious injuries” following a quad accident earlier today (Monday, June 10) and his dog have been rescued from Slieve Muck in the Mourne Mountains.
According to the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) requested their assistance just after noon today to rescue the farmer and his dog.
Local PSNI officers were first on the scene and were able to confirm the exact location; they were then followed by an ambulance team and members of the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team.
The organisation said on social media: “Given the location and potential injuries we requested Search and Rescue (SAR) air support with Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) deploying Rescue 116 from Dublin”.
According to the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team, after the farmer was stabilised he was then “packaged and carried to a lifting zone and airlifted to roadside/ambulance for onward journey to hospital”.
“The dog which was uninjured was evacuated on foot by police,” it added.
The Mourne Mountain Rescue Team also detailed that it had nine members respond to the emergency together with members from the local police, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Irish Coastguard and Rescue 116.
The team also said on social media that it wished “the casualty well”.
Mourne Mountain Rescue Team
The Mourne Mountain Rescue Team was established in 1962 and was the first mountain rescue team in Ireland.
According to the organisation the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team and An Óige Mountain Rescue Team were later founded in 1966.
The team is made up of volunteers “who turn out in all weather, day or night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year”.
Its 36 volunteers live in and around the Mourne area and the rescue service depends on donations from the public.
The rescue team is currently fund raising to develop a new base in Newcastle, Co. Down. It has said it needs to raise a total of £400,000.