Dinghy girl 'lucky to be alive'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6900499.stm

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A 12-year-old girl swept out to sea on an inflatable dinghy off the coast of Donegal is "lucky to be alive", the Coastguard has said.

She was swept 500 yards out to sea at Bundoran on Sunday afternoon. A helicopter and a lifeboat were used in the rescue.

The girl was uninjured but distressed by the incident.

"The lifeboat was on scene and was with the girl within about 10 minutes," a spokesman for Malin Coastguard said.

"Because of their quick response and because there is a lifeboat station in Bundoran, they launched very quickly, got the girl's position very quickly, took her on board and, therefore, could well have saved her life.

"She was in extreme danger, the wind was off-shore and would have taken her out to sea very quickly."