An Iranian mother-of-two found dead in Galway after having her throat cut has been named locally as Masuma Sohrabi.

Gardai are set to launch a murder investigation after the 31-year-old was found dead near the IPAS accommodation where she had been residing in Clifden on Thursday morning.

Staff at the Waterloo House IPAS accommodation discovered the woman after being unable to find her. Masuma was found near the river on Waterloo Bridge on the Galway Road with catastrophic neck injuries.

A man known to her was arrested near the scene and was taken to hospital for injuries incurred during the horrific incident. Gardai now want to question him on suspicion of murder once he is deemed medically fit.

The victim's name was Masuma Sohrabi, and most pals in the IPAS centre knew her simply as ‘Athija’. She was mother to a five year old girl and nine year old boy - both of whom attended a local school in Clifden.

Masuma was working in a hotel in the area, locals say, and had come to this country from Tehran, where she fled the Iranian regime in the hopes of a better life.

PK Joyce, who runs the Waterloo House accommodation where she lived, paid an emotional tribute to her, telling the Irish Mirror how Masuma had tried to learn English and Irish, and give her children better opportunities in life.

This comes after it emerged that Masuma had previously reported her killer over alleged violence. It is understood she previously reported the man for alleged violence in the past - and he had been removed from IPAS accommodation they both resided in around eight months ago.

The man was on the radar for gardai and there had been a history between the victim and him for some time, it is understood.

On Thursday gardai from the Water Unit were searching the Owenglen River for evidence after it is suspected the attacker slit the woman’s throat over the river.