'Man over board': Search operation launched off Irish coast after man falls from yacht
Alarm was raised on Saturday night by another person on board the UK-registered vessel
A search and rescue operation is underway off the Waterford coast amid reports that a man has fallen overboard from a UK-registered yacht.
The operation was launched shortly before 11pm on Saturday night after the Irish Coast Guard received an emergency call from another person on board the vessel who reported the incident.
"The Coast Guard are currently coordinating a search for a missing man believed to have gone overboard from a UK registered yacht 16nm South of Dunmore East in the Irish Sea," said a spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard who confirmed the alarm was raised when a 999 call was received by the Coast Guard Coordination centre in Dublin.
It is believed the vessel was travelling from Brighton to Swansea via Falmouth and that the person who raised the alarm has since been removed from the yacht and taken to shore.
Conditions in the search area are currently calm and several search and rescue vessels and aircraft have been deployed.
"MRCC Dublin continues to coordinate rescue resources in the area with Coast Guard helicopters R117, R116, a UK Coast Guard fixed wing, Dunmore Lifeboat, Kilmore Quay and Ballycotton Lifeboats involved in the search," said the spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard.