Man dies in rock jumping accident

The men had been jumping from rocks into the sea

A man died and three other people were injured after they drifted out to sea off the north Antrim coast.

The family and friends, all understood to be from Ballymoney, were jumping off rocks into the sea at Dunluce Castle, near Portrush when it is believed a heavy swell got them into trouble.

The emergency services received a 999 call from a teenage girl who was on the rocks at the time.

Members of the coastguard in Belfast and Ballycastle and the Royal Navy were involved in Saturday's search operation.

The crew of Portrush Lifeboat pulled the three men from the water, while the girl was winched to safety by a helicopter deployed from Prestwick in Scotland.

The sea is very treacherous - even in a boat around the rocks it's dangerous John Hope Coastguard

They were taken to the Causeway hospital in Coleraine to be treated for shock and hypothermia, but the man, believed to be aged 32, later died.

His name has not yet been released.

John Hope of the Coastguard said: "The boys had been diving into the sea but there were 12 to 15 feet swells in the area and they were swept out.

"A teenage girl, who was with them, raised the alarm and sparked the operation.

"The sea is very treacherous - even in a boat around the rocks it's dangerous."

Locally known as "tombstoning," diving off rocks and cliff faces is a popular activity at the beauty spot, but coastguard spokesman Stuart Leslie said it should stop.

"It is a dangerous sport which the coastguard doesn't encourage," he said.

The emergency services say similar incidents used to happen about once a year, but they are now becoming more frequent.

Freak wave

Meanwhile, four people were rescued off the County Down coast on Sunday after their speed boat was hit by a freak wave.

The victims, two men, a girl and a young boy, had been clinging on to rocks near Ardglass when golfers at a local club alerted the coastguard.

Golfers at Ardglass spotted the boat and raised the alarm

Coastguard watch manager Diana Gadd said a helicopter from Dublin and the Portaferry lifeboat were tasked to the scene but it was a local boat which came to the rescue.

"The local boat and naval patrol brought these four people ashore at Ardglass Marina," she said.

"They were very cold and very wet - we tasked an ambulance to meet them there and they were taken to hospital.

"I don't think they had been been in the water a very long time - certainly the golfers were on the ball in dialling 999 to let us know."

All four, believed to be from nearby Killough, were treated in hospital for shock.

No-one was seriously injured in the incident.