An elderly woman has died after driving her car into a swimming pool in Switzerland where it then sank.

The 88-year-old French woman, whose identity was not disclosed, died in hospital after the unfortunate manoeuvre, which left her vehicle at the bottom of the swimming pool.

The incident reportedly occurred in the Clarens neighbourhood, in the municipality of Montreux, canton of Vaud, Switzerland at around 9.50am on Wednesday, 7th December.

Police officers reported that the Frenchwoman crossed a hedge before the vehicle went into the pool and sank.

Only after she had sunk did a witness notice her.

The witness then retrieved her and brought her to the surface, but by that time the woman had lost consciousness.

A total of four police patrols, two gendarmerie patrols, specialists from the traffic unit, an ambulance and a team of firefighters rushed to the scene after the witness alerted them.

Vaud Cantonal Police said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “The police performed cardiac massage before the victim was taken to Riviera-Chablais Hospital in serious condition.

“She died of her injuries.”

Cops then informed the Public Ministry and the Public Prosecutor about the incident, who initiated in an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

The investigation was entrusted to specialists from the traffic unit of the gendarmerie.