110 Children Rescued After Squall Capsizes Dinghies

More than 100 children were plucked from the Irish Sea in a dramatic rescue operation yesterday after their sailing dinghies capsized in a powerful squall.

The alarm was raised around 2pm, off Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin, when the gust, said to have been measured at 35 knots, struck a flotilla of vessels off the coast. The dinghies, mostly Lasers, were less than a mile offshore near Dún Laoghaire harbor, a yachting center where ferries also dock.

The 110 children, aged mostly between 11 and 16, were taking part in a junior regatta in which four yacht clubs in Dublin Bay participate.

The force of the wind overturned most of the boats simultaneously, dumping the children into the cold water. Lifeboats, a naval vessel and local boats were all involved in taking them to safety. All the children were wearing lifejackets.

Roads were blocked off and a bus was commandeered to take some of the children to hospital. Fourteen children were treated for exposure and shock but none were seriously hurt and they were allowed home.

At least three of Dublin's hospitals were placed on an emergency footing and normal visiting was suspended. The coastguard later confirmed that all the children had been accounted for.

Sian Kneafsey, 12, one of those rescued, said: "I was really scared ... I looked around and everybody was on top of their boat. There were a lot of rescue boats and around half of the people had to abandon their boats." Louise O'Callaghan, 13, said: "I thought I would be able to get my boat back in but I lost energy and couldn't. I had to abandon it."

Earlier, Dublin's hospitals had been put on alert after a staircase in the city's Natural History Museum collapsed, injuring 11 people, most of them schoolteachers on a course. The museum, which dates back to the early 19th century, has been closed.