A woman in her 70s has died following an incident in Co Kerry which is understood to have occurred while rescuing sheep from the River Gearhameen in Beaufort.

Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to the incident following the discovery which happened shortly after 11am on Friday 1 December.

In a statement, gardaí said the woman was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later.

"Her body has been removed to the mortuary at University Hospital Kerry. The coroner has been notified," gardaí said in a statement.

The Health and Safety Authority told the Irish Farmers Journal that it is aware of the incident and is investigating.