Finding rucksacks may prove key to locating missing Japanese

The location of a pair of rucksacks could prove key in determining what has happened to a Japanese couple missing in Co Clare since the weekend.

Mystery still surrounds what has become of Mr Eiji Takagi (63) Ms Ushio Azaki (61) after their red Hyundai rental car was found at Byrne’s Cove, near George’s Head in Kilkee.

Gardaí are asking for members of the public who might find rucksacks which the couple were carrying before they went missing to come forward. The rucksacks were not found in the car.

The couple were last seen when they checked out of a hotel in Spanish Point on Saturday morning. It is believed the couple’s car was parked at Byrne’s Cove at about 9pm on Saturday.

Couple’s movements

While land, air and sea searches have been taking place in an effort to find any trace of the pair, gardaí have been investigating the couple’s movements since they checked out of the hotel .

It’s now believed they first travelled to the Kilkee area on Friday before returning to the hotel in Spanish Point, 34km away. It’s also known that they spent three nights in Doonbeg after arriving in Ireland.

CCTV images secured by gardaí­ have placed the pair in the restaurant at Kilkee golf club on Friday afternoon, just a few hundred metres from where their car was later located.

Gardaí­ wish to establish whether the couple had made a reservation in any other hotel or guesthouse for the Saturday and Sunday nights.

A Garda spokesman said: “We would ask any guesthouse, hostelry or hotel owners to contact us if they had a booking for a Japanese couple who didn’t turn up. We know the couple stayed in Spanish Point on Friday night and were due to catch a flight to London on Tuesday.

“We would also appeal to anyone who finds a rucksack or any other property to contact us immediately,” the spokesman added.

To date, the search has involved gardaí, Irish Coast Guard personnel from Kilkee, Doolin and Ballybunnion, and the Shannon-based search-and-rescue helicopter.

Drone assistance

Members of Clare Civil Defence joined the operation on Thursday and are expected to deploy drone technology on Saturday to help in the search.

It’s understood it will be the first time such technology will have been used in a search for missing persons in Clare.

Irish Coast Guard officer in charge in Kilkee, Martony Vaughan said: “The weather has had an effect on our search, which is also complicated by the fact we don’t know whether these people have entered the water and if so, where that point of entry is.

“We have various additional assets available to us and Clare Civil Defence will bring their drone technology to Kilkee on Saturday, while we will also have a sniffer dog who can go out on a boat. The Garda divers will also join the search on Saturday,” Mr Vaughan said.

Gardaí­ at Kilrush can be contacted on 065 908 0550, while anyone with information - or who may have seen the couple’s car, a red Hyundai, registration 151-D-23003 - can call the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda station.