R116 crew remembered on anniversary of tragedy

FOUR years after they were lost, the crew of the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 helicopter, which crashed off north Mayo, have been remembered in the county.

Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy and winch team Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith died when their Sikorsky S-92 helicopter crashed at Blackrock Island, 13 kilometres off Blacksod, on March 14, 2017.

The lost crew and their families were in people's thoughts on their anniversary this weekend, a meeting of the Mayo Joint Policing Committee was told today (Friday) by Councillor Michael Loftus.

The extraordinary efforts of the local community and agencies in response to the tragedy four years ago was also recalled.