A woman has been airlifted to hospital in a serious condition after she got into difficulty while swimming on Lough Derg, Co Clare this evening.
The alarm was raised shortly before 6.30pm when emergency services were alerted to the serious incident at Twomilegate in the east of the county.
The Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard and National Ambulance Service were tasked to the incident. The Emergency Aeromedical Service was also alerted and dispatched the HSE’s Cork-based air ambulance, Aeromed 01, to the scene.
It’s understood the woman, believed to be in her 50s, had been swimming at Twomilegate when she either got into difficulty or became unwell. She managed to make her way to a pontoon and climb onto it. It’s believed she then became unresponsive.
Two members of the public ran to her aid and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Once Coast Guard volunteers from nearby Killaloe arrived they continued efforts to resuscitate the casualty.
An ambulance and two rapid response advanced paramedics units also attended the scene. Personnel quickly jumped took over treatment of the woman.
In the meantime, Coast Guard personnel cleared a green area close to the scene where they secured a safe landing zone for the helicopter. The woman was stretchered to the helicopter and flown to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
