Woman critical and dog dead after being attacked by cattle

A woman, thought to be a tourist, is in a critical condition after being attacked by cattle on an island in Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh.

It is believed she was hurt after trying to save her dog from being attacked while they were walking on Devenish Island.

The woman was taken to the South West Acute hospital in Enniskillen and later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where she remains in a critical condition having undergone surgery on her colon and back.

The dog was taken to a vet but died of its injuries.

The rescue operation involved the Irish Coastguard helicopter from Sligo and a lifeboat from Enniskillen.

"It was deemed that Rescue 118, Sligo's Coastguard helicopter, was needed to transport the lady," RNLI spokesman Stephen Ingram told BBC NI.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Communities said: “The incident occurred on private land.

“The department is involved with discussions with relevant authorities and the landowner to ascertain exactly what happened.”