Review urged on activity centres after incident

The Transport and Marine Minister has been urged to review all outdoor activity centres and draw up new safety standards following an investigation into a near-tragedy involving schoolchildren off the east coast last year.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board made the recommendations in its report into an incident off Clogherhead in Co Louth on May 26, 2011, during which seven children from a primary school and their instructor were rescued after their kayaks capsized in heavy seas.

Tragedy was averted thanks to the swift actions of two alert RNLI crewmen working in a nearby lifeboat station at the time.