Five people were rescued from a burning boat on Lough Derg in Co Galway this afternoon.

Lough Derg RNLI was called out to assist two people on a 28ft cruiser that ran aground on the lake earlier today the second such incident in less than 24 hours.

The Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was launched this evening to assist four people on a 35ft cruiser that had suffered fuel problems on the eastern shore of the lake.

The Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was called out to assist two people on board a 20-ft motorboat which suffered engine failure on Lough Derg today.

The volunteer lifeboat crew at Lough Derg RNLI will be taking to the small screen again on Tuesday 17 November at 8pm, when they'll feature in the seventh episode of the BBC TV series Saving Lives at Sea.

The volunteer members of the Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat will be among the Irish crews to feature in the new series of the popular BBC television series 'Saving Lives at Sea.'

The Irish Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to launch to assist 2 people on a 27ft cruiser suffering engine trouble in the rough weather conditions. The cruiser was reported to be one nautical mile north of Illaunmor.

The Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was launched earlier this evening to assist 4 adults on a 30ft cruiser that had run aground at Skehanagh, on eastern, Tipperary shore of Lough Derg behind Illaunmor. 

A rescue operation was mounted this afternoon following reports that a vessel with four people on board was taking on water and at risk of sinking.