Up to 100 children who had been taking part in a regatta off the east coast of Ireland were rescued Thursday after a sudden squall capsized their boats, local media and officials said, according to dpa. Fourteen of the children and one adult were taken to hospital. No serious injuries were however sustained, with emergency services at the scene assessing around 80 people for shock and exposure. National broadcaster RTE reported that 12 vessels capsized during the junior regatta in the Irish Sea near the port of Dun Laoghaire, in which around 90 boats were taking part. All the children had been wearing life jackets, RTE reported. A spokesperson for Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company told RTE that there were winds of 28 knots, or the equivalent of 60 kilometres per hour, when the incident occurred at 2 pm. A major rescue operation involving boats and helicopters from Ireland's Garda Siochana police service, the Dublin Fire Brigade, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the coastguard was carried out. All of the children were under 16, the coastguard said. The event had been organized by the National Yacht Club and involved four yacht clubs in Dun Laoghaire and visiting clubs. Roads by the harbour in Dun Laoghaire remained sealed off, but vehicles were being allowed through to catch ferries to Britain. Dun Laoghaire is one of the major ferry ports for crossings to Britain.
