Man drowns while swimming in river Shannon

A man in his twenties has drowned in the river Shannon this evening.

Emergency services responded to the scene of an incident near the Barrack Lane boat club this evening after reports that a man had gotten into difficulty in the river while swimming.

Reports say the man in his twenties and believed to be from the north side of the city, was swimming widths of the river between the metal bridge and the Barrack Lane boat club when he went under. The alarm was raised around 5.45pm.

Gardai along with fire and ambulance crews attended the scene near Browns Quay which was described initially as a river rescue operation, however after two hours of searching; the body of the man was recovered.

A specialist diving unit of the Marine Search and rescue had carried out searches of the river from Thomond Bridge to the long pavement section of the waterway following the mans disappearance.

The victims body will be taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle for a post mortem examination.

NEW DETAILS
The victim has been named as Brendan O'Niell of College Avenue, Moyross