A MAN who pulled a woman from Lough Erne at Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh said last night he went straight in after spotting her face down in the water.
Oliver Ledwith from Enniskillen came to the rescue of the 54-year-old woman after she fell from a footbridge in the town. He stripped off his clothes, jumped in and dragged her to the shore.
Mr Ledwith said: "It was about 8.50am. I saw this lassy face down in the water, there were people starting to panic - she was in the water 4½ 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," he said.
The woman was taken to Erne Hospital in Enniskillen, where she was last night described as being in a critical condition.
PSNI Inspector Mervyn Elliott said: "There was a man who witnessed her fall and he immediately jumped into the river. 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."