A Swiss woman who died in a boating tragedy on Lough Ree this week may have been clinging to a lifebuoy for hours. Her husband is still missing, presumed dead.
A post-mortem on the body of Ms Ruth Borner, who was in her 60s, found that she died from hypothermia. She was discovered on Monday evening in 3ft of water, and a lifebuoy was found close by.
This has caused speculation that she may have been holding on to the lifebuoy before eventually succumbing to hypothermia. She may have travelled quite a distance across the lake from the Co Westmeath shore to the Co Roscommon side.
This has prompted a change of location in the search for the body of her husband Mr Walter Borner (71), a renowned photographer and expert on the Shannon. Initially, the search was focused on the west side of the lake, near Lecarrow, Co Roscommon, but yesterday evening divers were sent to the area around Hare Island, near Coosan Point, on the east side. Some divers are still focusing on the west side.
More than 60 divers joined the search yesterday, but the prospects of an early discovery of Mr Borner's body look to have receded given the wide expanse of lake now being searched.
Relatives of the Borners are due to arrive in Athlone this evening. Supt Mark Curran confirmed that gardaí will meet the family when they arrive. Mr Borner was Ruth's second husband.
The dramatic change in weather conditions - bright sun followed minutes later by downpours and thunder - has hampered the search. Supt Curran praised the divers and gardaí who have been carrying out the search since Tuesday.
"People are taking time off work to help out, while the gardaí who are working there are not worrying about the time spent there or the conditions," he said.