A GARDA investigation has been launched after the body of an elderly woman was discovered in Cork.
According to Gardaí, the alarm was raised when a passerby noticed a car on fire in the Annakisha woodlands at around 3pm, about 8km from the town of Donerail.
A unit from Mallow Fire Brigade arrived on the scene at around 4pm, where they discovered a burnt-out car and a woman's body inside the vehicle.
The body of the woman, who is believed to have been in her 70s, has been taken to Cork UniversityHospital to undergo a post-mortem.
RTÉ News reports that at the same time, the alarm was raised a few kilometres away when a passerby noticed a man struggling in the waters of the River Awbeg.
The man, aged in his 60s and believed to be from a rural area in nearby Limerick, was rescued from the water and rushed to Cork University Hospital where he is being treated for hypothermia.
It is unclear whether the two cases are connected; a Garda investigation has been launched to establish the facts surrounding the case.
The area around where the vehicle was found has been sealed off by Gardaí awaiting a technical examination, as has the area around a second car found nearby which is believed to be connected to the investigation.
A post-mortem examination will determine the course of the investigation, a Garda spokesperson confirmed.
No arrests have yet been made, and Gardaí are not believed to be seeking anyone else in relation to the incident.
Gardaí have appealed for anyone who was in the Doneraile area between 3pm and 5pm yesterday, particularly anyone who may have dashcam or mobile phone footage, to contact Fermoy Garda Station on 025 821 00 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
