Woman remains in critical condition after getting into difficulty swimming

A woman who was airlifted to hospital after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Shannon in Co Westmeath on Wednesday evening remains in a critical condition.

Lough Ree RNLI volunteers were contacted by the Irish Coast Guard in Malin Head and requested to assist a swimmer in difficulty near Athlone shortly before 7pm.

The swimmer, who is understood to be in her mid 40s, was reported to have been in difficulty at the Golden Mile just north of Athlone town.

The RNLI said the inshore lifeboat and its crew arrived on the scene at 7.18pm and immediately commenced searching for the swimmer.

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“The lifeboat crew quickly located the swimmer and with the assistance of Athlone Sub-Aqua Club she was brought onboard the lifeboat and the lifeboat crew started to administer casualty care,” it said.

The woman was later transferred to the Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, which brought her to University Hospital Galway.

A spokeswoman for Lough Ree RNLI said “while we may be experiencing warmer weather at the moment, the water temperature is still very cold.

“We would urge anyone planning on enjoying the River Shannon and Lough Ree to keep this in mind before getting in for a swim.”

Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring said 133 people on average lose their lives to drowning each year.

“There needs to be greater awareness of the danger that our waters present and on how to prevent drownings. In 2015 there were 122 drownings compared to 165 deaths on the road. However there is far greater public awareness of road safety than of water safety,” he said.