Six people were rescued from the Eastern Reeks in Co Kerry overnight in a nine hour operation undertaken by the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team in challenging conditions.
KMRT were sent to rescue a woman who had taken a fall on the south-west face of 'the Bone' on Maolán Buí, an inaccessible area in the Eastern Reeks, at 4.15pm.
But it soon emerged she was just one of a party of six who had all become stuck on a number of crags 150 metres from the bottom of a remote gully below the Bone.
Weather conditions were poor with light fading rapidly and flurries of snow, rendering any approach to the casualties from the bottom of the gully dangerous, KMRT's Gerry Christie said.
Six people were safely rescued from the Eastern Reeks in Co Kerry overnight after a nine-hour operation in challenging conditions | Read more: https://t.co/Yj6MreQzBL pic.twitter.com/gCTZCBLJ2b
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Instead the volunteer team of 26 climbed to a point near the top of the Bone above the gully where a rope system was set up.
A number of the team then abseiled 200 metres down to the climbers and used haul lines to bring them all safely to the top of the ridge.
Once at the top, they were brought one by one down off the Bone.
KMRT's Gerry Christie said it was "a challenging operation, in challenging weather, with a happy ending."
"The lady who took the fall was able to walk of the mountain."
There had been fears of hypothermia but all six were fine after their ordeal.
"They were tired, but fine and happy to see us," Mr Christie said.
The six were in their 20s/30s and described as well prepared for the outdoors.
The rescue operation finished just after 1.30am today.
The callout involved 26 members of the mountain rescue team.
