Rescue 116 tragedy: Our huge debt
At least one of the four crew of a helicopter that crashed off Mayo yesterday morning has died. At the time of writing, the search for the other three crew members was inconclusive, but their prospects amount to little more than a glimmer of hope.
The death of helicopter pilot Capt Dara Fitzpatrick, aged 45, comes just months after her Coast Guard colleague, Caitriona Lucas, from Liscannor, died in hospital after her boat capsized near cliffs off Co Clare during a rescue operation.
Yesterday’s tragedy underlines, again, the great risks rescue services routinely undertake to save strangers from dire, often life-threatening circumstances.
This is, indeed, the kindness of strangers, expressed with an extraordinarily selfless generosity. That such generosity is often than not allied to exceptional courage makes it all the more admirable.
This Mayo tragedy is a reminder of the great debt we all owe those who are prepared to pay the ultimate price to try to ensure our safety — the safety of strangers.
