LATEST: Canoeist rescued from Lough Neagh near Ballinderry river

A canoeist is “lucky be alive” after a Lough Neagh Rescue (LNR) crew on routine training found him in a hypothermic state near the mouth of the Ballinderry River.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Apr 2015, 15:37 BST
Lough Neagh Rescue crewLough Neagh Rescue crew
Lough Neagh Rescue crew

The man, who is thought to be in his forties, was canoeing on the lough with another man when it is understood his boat capsized in the water on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for LNR said they saw the man on the shoreline and sprung into action at around 8pm.

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After wrapping the man in warm blankets and treating him, a crew member said they alerted the Coast Guard and an ambulance was dispatched.

The Support 4 Flood and Swift Water Rescue Boat that found him was supported by the charity’s Ardboe lifeboat, which assisted with medical help and provided a stretcher.

Speaking about the incident, a spokesperson for LNR said: “He’s a lucky man, another half an hour and he would have been dead - he was only responding now again.

“It just happened we were out on our training,” they added.

The casualty was carried through woodland to a waiting ambulance and handed over to the paramedics shortly before 9pm.