Woman was relaxing at a popular Vietnamese beach resort when she was apparently swept away by a freak wave (File photo)
The woman died despite desperate attempts by other holidaymakers and Vietnamese rescue officials to save her. The woman was from Limerick but resident in Cork. She was single and is understood to have been in her 50s. The woman travelled to the country with a group of close friends for what was described as “the holiday of a lifetime.” She was deeply interested in foreign cultures and had been planning the overseas trip with friends for several months.
The holiday included a sightseeing programme supplemented by time at a beach resort. It is understood she was relaxing by the popular Vietnamese beach resort when she was apparently swept away by a freak wave last Saturday as she was in the shallows. Seas had been very rough off Vietnam and Thailand over recent days due to the lingering effects of several typhoons in the region. These are being blamed for the freak wave which swept her away. Desperate efforts to reach her in time failed and she was pronounced dead when finally brought ashore. The Republic’s Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sherlock TD has ensured full consular support services are being provided to the family via the Irish mission in Hanoi. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is now assisting the devastated family with making arrangements for the repatriation of the woman’s remains.