Two individuals were rescued after their microlight aircraft was forced to ditch into the sea off the coast of Wales on Friday evening. The pair was found sitting on the wings of the floating wreckage approximately 10 miles northwest of Cemaes Head, near Cardigan, wearing life jackets and reported to be conscious but extremely cold.

The microlight had been traveling from Ireland to Aberporth, where the pilots intended to stop overnight to refuel before continuing their journey to Italy. Following mechanical difficulties, the pilot issued a mayday call and subsequently ditched the aircraft into the sea.

Emergency response teams, including lifeboats from New Quay, Cardigan, and Fishguard, as well as a coastguard helicopter, were immediately dispatched to the scene. The New Quay RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat, along with the coastguard helicopter, was first to locate the wreckage. The RNLI’s Coxswain Bernie Davies confirmed that the Cardigan crew brought the lifeboat alongside the wreckage and safely recovered both individuals.

Upon rescue, the casualties were transferred to ambulances arranged by the Welsh Ambulance Service at New Quay. According to Rees-Tom Jones, a navigator with New Quay RNLI, both were in shock following the incident. They spent one night in hospital before being discharged and have since traveled back to Ireland by ferry.

Jones also noted a coincidental connection between one of the rescued individuals and a previous rescue operation: one casualty is the next-door neighbor of an Irish rower who had been saved by RNLI crews during Storm Arwen in November 2021.

The RNLI highlighted the incident as part of their ongoing maritime safety efforts. In the previous year, RNLI teams rescued 272 people from danger at sea, while lifeguards carried out more than 3,000 rescues on beaches across the UK and Ireland.