Debris found in search for aircraft off Northern Ireland

Debris has been found in the search for a light aircraft that went missing off the coast of Northern Ireland .

The debris was found in orth of Glenarm, Northern Ireland by a yacht which had responded to the mayday broadcast and joined the search effort, the UK Coastguard said in a statement.Police are providing support to the families.

Five RNLI lifeboats were launched after the aircraft was reported overdue on Thursday at 8.30pm.

It is believed two people were on board the microlight aircraft that was travelling from Derry to Scotland.

Lifeboats based in Larne and Red Bay in Northern Ireland and Portpatrick in Scotland took part in a late night search, which was stood down for a few hours after 4am on Friday.

The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 took part in the operation, as did a rescue helicopter from Prestwick and local coastguard teams, according to a statement from the RNLI.

Red Bay RNLI were one of the first to resume the search on Friday morning.

Ryan Gray, senior maritime operations officer at the UK Coastguard, said further services may be sent as the search widens.

“UK Coastguard has also issued a Mayday relay broadcast in the area and several merchant shipping vessels have responded and are keeping a lookout for this aircraft,” he said.

Visibility during the search was poor due to “extremely challenging” conditions and thick fog.