A woman has died after she bravely dived into the sea to save a drowning child.
The tragic incident in Cork earlier today.
The emergency services attended Ballycroneen Strand in east Cork shortly after 1pm today after reports of two people in difficulty in the water.
It is understood a 10-year-old child got into difficulty in the water and a woman, who spotted what had happened, courageously went into the sea in a bid to save her youngster. Both ended up in difficulty.
The alarm was raised by concerned onlookers and two units of the RNLI from Ballycotton and Crosshaven were tasked to attend the scene.
The Coast Guard’s Sikorsky sea and rescue helicopter was also launched and raced to the scene from Waterford.
It is understood that two casualties were taken from the water within minutes of the emergency services arriving at the scene.
One was rescued by the Coast Guard helicopter crew while the other was recovered by the RNLI units.
Both were immediately brought for first aid.
The woman was landed at Ballycotton Pier and given emergency medical treatment before being taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) in a critical condition.
Emergency medical attention was provided for both by paramedics who had also raced to the scene.
Despite desperate efforts by medical staff to stabilise the woman’s condition at CUH, she was pronounced dead a short time later.
