Northern Ireland-19 Pigs rescued by fire brigade.

Nineteen pigs have been rescued from a slurry tank by firefighters during a dramatic operation on a County Londonderry farm.

One pig drowned during the disturbing incident which occurred following the collapse of a pig fattening house.

Station Commander Archie McKay told how his team laboured in cramped, stinking conditions to rescue the animals.

The pigs had fallen into the slurry yesterday morning after a support in a pig fattening house gave way and the animals tumbled through the slats, ended up in the slurry five feet below.

Mr McKay, who comes from a farming background, led the crews of 16 personnel, all in the retained sector from Magherafelt and Maghera, after the incident happened at the farm at Mullaghboy Road, near Bellaghy.

"The stench and the gas emissions from the slurry meant that the firefighters had to use breathing apparatus to rescue the animals," he said. "We got the call at 10.30 in the morning and by the time we arrived and got everything set up, it meant we had to carry out the operation from 11.30 until the last one was rescued at 2pm in the afternoon.

"These pigs weighed between 50 and 60 kilos and it was no easy task. Sadly, one of them had died — we don’t know whether it was overcome by the gas, or whether it was injured in the fall. We worked in conjunction with the farmer and a specialist vet from Omagh, and we got them all out after a real effort."

When the crews left, the pigs were eating contentedly in another shed, and the firefighters faced the aftermath of having all their clothes expertly laundered, equipment disinfected and themselves thoroughly washed and showered back at the fire stations.

"The farmer was obviously very thankful," said Mr McKay. "It was a very unusual call-out, but I have faced worse."

When the Belfast Telegraph contacted the farmer’s home yesterday, the family did not want to discuss the incident.