A swimmer has died and another is in hospital after getting into difficulty off the coast of Ballycastle.
The victim has been named locally as Deirdre McShane, a midwife in her 50s.
A major rescue operation swung into force at around 8.30am at Ballycastle beach as a group of swimmers battled the tide.
One of the women passed away at the scene. The second swimmer has been taken to hospital for treatment.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of a woman who tragically died this morning following an incident at Ballycastle beach in the Cushendall Road area. https://t.co/c5XnYHRkkl pic.twitter.com/ukUJiiy9dG
— NIFRS (@NIFRSOFFICIAL) December 9, 2019
Acts of heroism emerging from Ballycastle where a woman went into the surf to drag out a motionless swimmer and from a man who did the same with another moments later and successfully performed CPR .
— michael cairns (@Cairnspolitics) December 9, 2019