The 118 Irish coastguard rescue helicopter which was involved in the rescue on Lough Erne

TWO people have been at the centre of a plane drama and rescue.

Their light aircraft was forced to ditch in Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh around 4 pm on Friday afternoon.

They were able to swim their way to shore after the plane came down.

The emergency services sprung into action after it received a distress call from the light aircraft’s pilot who managed to land the plane on the water near Derrylin.

As a result, the 118 Irish Coastguard helicopter was also launched along with two lifeboats.

The pilot and passenger were not injured during the mid afternoon incident.

Belfast Coastguard said it the crews on board the lifeboat and the helicopter were unsure where the light aircraft would land.

“We then received a 999 call from a member of the public who had seen it land and who also saw two persons on board swim safely to shore,”

“Fortunately, neither person was injured,” added the Belfast Coastguard.