Mayo Mountain Rescue respond to two call-outs this month

MAYO Mountain Rescue Team have undertaken two operations to assist walkers since the beginning of December, including one all-night search.

On December 3, they were tasked by the gardaí at 9 p.m. to search for a missing walker near Aasleagh Falls. Just before his phone battery died, the casualty had sent a request for help along with his location coordinates to his sister.

The coordinates put the casualty's location north of Maumtrasna, on steep ground near Lough Glenawough.

The rescue team off from Erriff Bridge where the casualty had parked his car. The coast guard helicopter was also called to assist, but due to very high winds had to abandon their efforts.

In an update on the mission on their social media, the team explained how the search area was forestry on very steep ground - difficult and dangerous to search at any time, but more so at night, with very high winds and frequent hail/snow.

They found the casualty was no longer at the location advised and concluded he was making his own way down the valley towards Tourmakeady - 'a very long walk'.

The team returned to Erriff Bridge just after 5 a.m., with plans to resume at 8 a.m. The gardaí were asked to search roads and tracks from the Tourmakeady side and they found the casualty soon after near Tourmakeady.

The second call-out, on December 5, was at the Sheeffry Mountains where, just before 3 p.m., Mayo Mountain Rescue was called to assist a walker with a lower leg injury.

Their location was visible from the road, just above an area of cut forestry, and a first response team reached them by 5 p.m. and they were stretchered off the mountain.