Ice Skaters on the Lough put in Mortal Danger

cork | miscellaneous | news report Monday January 11, 2010 15:18 by Hilary Quinn

Sunday the 10th of January - Cork

On Sunday 10th January at approximately 6pm, 4 ice-skaters were almost left stranded on a breaking sheet of ice by Gardai.

This is when the JCB driver started breaking the ice while the boys were still out there skating..

Gardai failed to notify the 4 young men that the ice on the frozen lough in Cork was being broken up using a JCB as per their orders to do so. When the young men saw what was occurring, and reportedly felt a crack go through the ice they were still standing on, they immediately made their way to the edge of the ice sheet at which point a conversation occured with the Gardai. The young men in question queried why they had not been notified by Gardai that the ice was being broken up, and were in clear distress as they needed to now make an escape from the breaking ice, made even more brittle by the actions of the JCB driver.

A crowd of approx 50+ bystanders witnessed both the event and the ensuing conversation, and it was clear the Gardai not only failed to notify the young men the ice was being broken up, but also had no equipment or interest in getting them out safely.

Luckily a bystander that lived nearby got his children's sandbox from home, and this was used as a floatation device to rescue the remaining three ice-skaters. The Gardai were not involved in the rescue and did not call any re-enforcements to help with this type of rescue.

The boys are shocked that the Gardai are breaking the ice without telling them beforehand so that they could get off the lake..

Ice skaters on the frozen lough put a ladder from the ice over water to the surrounding wall so that they can climb across and onto land

The first ice skater crosses over the ladder and unbelievably makes it across without falling into the water

The second ice skater starts to make the journey across, but luckily a passer by ran home to grab his kids sandbox, which floats and is used to get the remaining two ice skaters safely across. The Gardai offered no assistance in any of this.