Teen in hospital after NI cliff rescue
A teenager was recovering in hospital today after being airlifted off a cliff face in Northern Ireland after becoming trapped while trying to rescue his dog.
The 16-year-old went down the cliffs at Islandmagee, Co Antrim, last night in a bid to save his pet.
When he became stuck his father, who was waiting at the top of the cliffs, used his mobile phone to call the emergency services.
A rescue helicopter was flown over from Prestwick in Scotland and managed to winch the boy to safety and deliver him to a waiting ambulance which took him to the Mater Hospital in Belfast suffering from mild hypothermia.
A Coastguard spokesman said that the helicopter crew had been unable to get to the dog because it was too dangerous in the dark.
However, two Coastguard cliff rescue teams went back to the scene and, working from the foot of the cliffs, managed to get the dog to safety.
The pet was later reunited with the grateful family.
