Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment.

Senator Edward Kennedy has been admitted to hospital in the US after suffering stroke-like symptoms, sources have said.

The Massachusetts senator was taken to hospital in Boston, said an official, who requested anonymity. There was no word on his condition.

Hyannis Fire Lieutenant Bill Rex told The Associated Press an emergency call came in from the Kennedy compound at 8.19am EDT (1219 GMT).

A male was transported to Cape Cod Hospital and then transferred by medical flight at 10.10am (1410 GMT) from Barnstable Municipal Airport to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The 76-year-old senator has been in the Senate since election in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother, John F Kennedy.

In October, Mr Kennedy had surgery to repair a nearly complete blockage in a major neck artery. The discovery was made during a routine examination of a decades-old back injury.

The hour-long procedure on his left carotid artery - a main supplier of blood to the face and brain - was performed at Massachusetts General. This type of operation is performed on more than 180,000 people a year to prevent a stroke.