Divers have joined in the search for the bodies of Mr John F. Kennedy jnr, his wife Carolyn and her sister, Lauren, on the seabed off Martha's Vineyard island where his light aircraft disappeared last Friday night.
The Massachusetts state police divers were investigating two "targets" which had been detected in 60 to 80 feet of water by sonar equipment towed by a naval vessel. It was hoped that the sonar scan may have found the wreckage of Mr Kennedy's Piper single-engined aircraft but one of the "targets" turned out to be a large rock.
Meanwhile, new evidence emerged yesterday that Mr Kennedy's Piper Saratoga plane was nose-diving out of control in its final moments. National Transportation Safety Board officials revealed new radar findings of the flight which showed that the plane, when approaching Martha Vineyard's Island, was descending at the rate of 4,700 feet a minute which is five times the normal rate.
Further debris from the aircraft found yesterday floating or on beaches included cabin mouldings and a rudder pedal. It is now assumed the small plane broke into pieces on impact with the water.
The hope of finding any survivors was officially abandoned on Sunday by Coast Guard Rear Admiral Richard Larrabee, who first spoke to members of the Kennedy and the Bessette families.
President Clinton spoke to the admiral yesterday about the search for the bodies and said that it would be "appropriate" that the search should continue.
The Kennedy family issued a statement yesterday thanking all those who were taking part in the search operations. Saying they were filled with "unspeakable grief and sadness", the family described John as "a shining light, a devoted husband and a devoted brother."
The Bessette family also issued a statement through a spokesperson from their home at Greenwich, Connecticut. The family thanked all those who had taken part in the search and appealed for privacy. The family said that each of those who died were "the embodiment of love, accomplishment and passion for life."
Yesterday morning, Senator Ted Kennedy, left the family compound at Hyannisport and flew to New York where he met with Ms Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, sister of John and now the only living offspring of the late President and Jacqueline Kennedy.
In the US Senate, there were prayers for the missing and for Senator Kennedy and the family.
At the Kennedy Library in Boston, flowers were left and visitors watched films of the family showing John Kennedy Jnr with his late father.