Girl, 12, in critical condition after being trapped by her hair under capsized boat

A 12-year-old girl is in a critical condition after a boating incident in Limerick over the weekend.

The girl became trapped under a capsized rowing boat at the Thomond Salmon Weir on the River Shannon on Saturday at around 10am, reports the Limerick Leader. The boat had left a local boat club shortly beforehand carrying four young girls and a boy and overturned in fast-flowing water. It's thought that the girl's hair became tangled in the outriggers which hold the boat's oars. The boat was found by members of the Limerick Fire Service during routine check of the river. The girl was cut free and CPR was performed on her. The fire service personnel brought to a nearby slipway where they were met by paramedics. She was initially brought to University Hospital Limerick but is now being treated at Dublin's Temple Street Children's Hospital. Her condition is described as critical. Gardaí have begun an investigation into the incident and said that they have also referred it to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB). A passerby who witnessed the incident said that he was "haunted" by the girl's screams.

“I could see the boat turned over and a girl waving and screaming," Danny Ryan told the Irish Times.

“I’m haunted all day. It’s the screams. I can still hear the girls screaming, ‘help, help help’”.