A man has died after getting into trouble while swimming in a lake in Co Clare last night.
The alarm was raised at Lake Ballyalla on the outskirts of the town of Ennis around 6:30 PM.
The man, believed to be in his late 40s, reportedly plunged into the water near the old pier on the south side of the popular local facility.
Presumably the man was seen diving into the water, but did not resurface. It is also known that a number of young men who saw him diving jumped after him and managed to reach him and take him to the surface and then to the shore of the lake.
The local lifeguard also ran to help while Gardaí, the National Ambulance Service and the Irish Coast Guard were all alerted.
The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, which was at the time dealing with another incident at Doonbeg on the Clare coast, was reassigned from that mission to the unfolding incident at Ennis.
The Irish Coast Guard’s Doolin unit, which was also in charge of the Doonbeg incident, was also diverted to the Ennis scene.
Attempts to resuscitate the man continued until paramedics arrived. Despite the best efforts of several people to resuscitate the man, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Rescue 115 helicopter landed in a field close to the lake in case the victim had to be transported to hospital, but the helicopter was lowered after the man was confirmed to have died.
The man’s body has been taken to the morgue at Limerick University Hospital, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.
Gardaí will also investigate the tragedy and prepare a file for the county coroner, who will hold an inquest at a later date.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that members were visiting the site of the incident.
“A man had dived into the water from the old pier. Gardaí and people on site helped the man and he was removed from the water. The man was later pronounced dead,” they said.
“The man’s body was then taken from the scene to the Limerick Morgue,” she added.
The incident took place as the current heat wave continued and many people visited popular water supplies and coastal locations in an effort to enjoy the weather and cool off from the heat.