A WOMAN WAS DROWNED after being caught by waves as she visited a beach with her young daughter yesterday.

The 39-year-old, named by official sources as Mary Kelly, was walking along the shoreline with her family at Tramore beach in Co Waterford when they were hit by a freak wave, according to reports. Her daughter managed to reach safety but Mary was swept out to sea at around 8.40am.

The alarm was raised and crews at Tramore RNLI and the Coast Guard helicopter were dispatched. Gardaí arrived at the scene to find the child, believed to be aged under ten, safe but the mother caught in the waves, the Irish Independent reports. A local surfer helped bring Mary ashore and there were attempts to administer CPR, but she was pronounced dead after being airlifted to hospital, according to RTE.

According to the Irish Daily Star (print edition only), Mary’s mother also witnessed the tragedy as the family were on holiday in Tramore at the time. A relative told the paper: “From what we’ve been told, it happened all of a sudden. A wave came in and knocked Mary over and then another came in and pulled her into the water.”

The daughter is reported to be now back at home with her father.