Gardaí are investigating the death of a woman in Cork after her body was found in a burning car on Thursday afternoon. 

The woman, who was in her 70s, was found at around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday around 8km outside the town of Downraile.

A person walking in the area had raised the alarm about an hour earlier when they came upon the car on fire in the woodlands of Annakisha. 

Mallow Fire Brigade rushed to the scene, but the car was already burnt out and the woman's body was subsequently found inside. 

Officers have sealed off the area around the burnt-out car and the area around a second car nearby to conduct forensic analysis and establish what happened. Members of the Garda Technical Bureau will conduct technical examinations at both scenes today. 

The Office of the State Pathologist will also carry out a post-mortem on the woman's body to determine the course of the investigation. 

Gardaí additionally conducted a search of the area and found a man who had gotten into difficulty in a nearby river. 

The man, who is thought to be in his 60s, was hypothermic when gardaí pulled him from the river. He is now receiving treatment at Cork University Hospital. 

No arrests have been made and RTÉ reports that gardaí are not looking to speak to anyone in relation to the incident at present. 

However, gardaí are appealing for anyone who was in the Doneraile area between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., particularly anyone with mobile phone footage or dashcam footage, to contact Fermoy Garda Station on 025-82100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.