Hero tells of Fermanagh river rescue

A hero who pulled a woman from the icy cold waters of Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh said tonight he went straight in after spotting her face down in the water.

Oliver Ledwith, from Enniskillen, acted with no thought for his own safety after the 54-year-old fell from the Wellington footbridge in the town.

He stripped off his clothes, jumped in and dragged the woman to the shore.

Mr Ledwith said: “It was about 8.50 this morning. I saw this lassy face down in the water, there were people starting to panic – she was in the water four and a half to five minutes.

“I leapt straight into the water and went to her, she was totally out of it, completely out of it. Paramedics were there when we came out and they started working on her – I didn’t know if she was alive or dead,” he said.

The woman was taken to the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen where she was tonight described as being in a critical condition.

PSNI Inspector Mervyn Elliott hailed Mr Ledwith as a heroic life saver.

He said: “There was a passer-by, a man, who witnessed her fall and he immediately took off his clothes and jumped into the river and rescue this lady.

“His actions were very brave, it was a very cold morning and the river is deep in that particular point. Fortunately he is a very good swimmer and he was able to rescue this woman.”