Boy fights for life after river incident

A 17-year-old boy was fighting for his life last night after he was caught underwater for over 25 minutes.

The teenager, from the Knocknagree area of the West Cork-Kerry border, was swimming with three friends at Lisheen bridge, Farrankeale, when he got into difficulty at 5.38pm.

After diving into the water, which is over 4m deep in places, the 17-year-old failed to resurface, and his friends raised the alarm.

However, due to the dark waters of the river, it took until 6.05pm to rescue him.

The boy, who was unconscious after being underwater for 27 minutes, was given CPR by locals until ambulances from Mallow and Macroom, and a Millstreet fire brigade crew arrived.

The boy was taken by air ambulance to Kerry General at 7.50pm. He had not regain consciousness at the time of going to press.

Sources familiar with the case said the teenager was in a “critical” condition.

Lisheen bridge is a popular swimming spot for locals.

However, its murkiness and depth means it poses hidden dangers.

Yesterday’s tragic scenes came just two days after the Irish Water Safety group urged people planning swimming trips to be on alert for hidden dangers.

IWS spokesman John Leech made the call after saying that 147 people drowned in Ireland last year, up 19 from 2011.