Teen hiker hospitalised in Ireland after sheep falls on him

The boy was treated for injuries on the side of the trail before being transported to hospital. Photo / Facebook

A teenage boy was hiking the Mourne Mountains, in Northern Ireland, when a sheep fell on him, sending him to hospital.

The boy was hiking along the mountains at about 4.30pm (local time) on Saturday when the sheep jumped from a rock and landed on him.

The boy had to be treated on the side of the trail for injuries to his neck, head, back and abdomen and was then sent to hospital.

The sheep is thought to have been uninjured as it managed to leave the area on its own.

The Mourne Mountain Rescue Team posted about the incident on their Facebook page.

"At 1629hrs today, the team received a request for assistance from an injured walker. The male youth was walking with a group in the vicinity of the Hares Gap when hit by a sheep jumping from an adjacent crag," the team said in the post.

"The team responded and located the casualty on steep ground on Slieve Bearnagh. The casualty was assessed and treated for a range of potential injuries including head, neck, back, abdominal and leg injuries. When packaged, the casualty was evacuated by stretcher to track access and a team vehicle. After a short transfer to road access, the casualty was handed over to NIAS for further treatment and the onward journey to Hospital. 17 members responded and stood down at 2000 hrs."

"For information, we believe the sheep was uninjured and left the area unaided," they added.