Woman drowns in river after rescuing friend an hour earlier

A 21-year-old woman drowned in an Irish river just an hour after she had rescued her struggling friend from the water.

Lisa Knight, from Cardiff, was relaxing with two friends on the river Feale near Limerick.

According to the Daily Mail, she had dragged a man ashore after he got into difficulty swimming in the river.

She then went into the water to cool off as temperatures reached 30C.

Miss Knight was seen struggling but rescuers could not reach her in time.

A spokesman for the rescue services in Limerick told Wales Online: "They had gone down early in the afternoon because of the good weather.

"It is a spot that would be known to young people in the area to socialise and relax.

"She was down with these two friends of hers.

"One guy got into difficulty and Lisa rushed out to get him. She was able to save him and bring him back to safety.

"When she went out again, there was a fishing boat in the distance and they could hear screaming."

Lisa's family ran a convenience store in the village, before she moved to Limerick eight years ago.

Local councillor Liam Galvin said: "We are all very upset about the death of this young woman.

"It's a terrible thing to have happen to anyone and we would like to give our sincere condolences to her family."

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