Call out 61: Kippure Incident 16/11/15
Shortly after 3.30pm on Monday the 16th of November both the Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team and the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team were tasked by An Garda Siochana to investigate a possible distress signal that had been reported.
A college group returning to Dublin via the Sally Gap had been passing near Kippure Mountain and had seen what they believed were repeated sets of six torch flashes which is an international distress signal. At the time of the sighting the summit of Kippure was not in cloud and the informant was certain that the sighting had nothing to do with the lights on the mast and did the right thing by reporting it.
A limited response involving vehicles and several members of Mountain Rescue went to check out the call. Hasty searches were carried out at the summit and the upper reaches of the mountain as well as a number of access points. Bad weather and poor visibility hampered efforts and as no further contact could be made the incident was stood down just before 6pm.
