Two drown in separate accidents over bank holiday

TWO people drowned in separate swimming accidents in Portugal and Co Clare over the weekend.

A 35-year-old woman died after she was swept out to sea at an unguarded beach near Liscannor yesterday.

The woman, named locally as Julie Burke and believed to be from Moyross in Limerick city, had been swimming with family members at approximately 3pm at Kilmacreehy when she got into difficulty.

It is understood that as many as three other people tried to save the woman and that one managed to grab onto her hair but the current was too strong and she was washed away.

Another woman was later treated for hypothermia at the scene, but did not require hospitalisation.

The Irish naval offshore patrol vessel LÉ Aisling, which had been anchored in Lahinch Bay at the time, responded to a request from Valentia Coast Guard to assist and dispatched a crew on board a rigid inflatable boat. It is believed the woman was in the water for about 20 minutes before she was found.

A HSE ambulance from nearby Ennistymon and an advanced paramedic unit from Ennis were sent to the scene along with two units of the fire brigade.

The naval boat found the unconscious woman and took her on board. Personnel commenced and continued CPR as the boat raced to the pier at Liscannor where paramedics were standing by.

She was flown to University Hospital in Galway as efforts to resuscitate the woman continued. However, Ms Burke was pronounced dead at 5.45pm.

Meanwhile, an Irish holidaymaker died in front of his wife and parents during an Algarve boat trip on Sunday.

The unnamed 36-year-old jumped into the water for a swim after visiting sea caves near the popular resort of Albufeira with his family at around midday.

Witnesses told police he disappeared underwater, before emerging a few moments later, floating apparently lifelessly on the surface.

He was rushed to Albufeira Marina, where a medical emergency response team was on standby.

However, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the scene.

The man was on a family holiday in the nearby resort of Vilamoura.