A community rallied round yesterday to pray for the families of two men missing in a boating accident off Co Cork.
Brothers Denis (44) and Brendan Kelly (42), from Ballyvolane in Cork city, were lost at sea when their speedboat overturned in Ballycotton Bay on Saturday.
Mr Denis Kelly, a painting contractor, is married to Mary and they have three young children. Mr Brendan Kelly, a mechanic, is married to Helen and they have two young children.
Yesterday relatives and friends were comforting the two families at their homes following the tragedy which, according to local curate Father Alan O'Leary has stunned the local community.
"It's a very sad day for the whole of the area - our prayers are with both families at this terrible time," said Father O'Leary, who visited Mr Brendan Kelly's family yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, the search for both men continued yesterday with Navy divers joining the operation in Ballycotton Bay, searching rocky inlets inaccessible to searchers on land.
The LE Eimear also assisted in the operation, together with the Ballycotton and Youghal lifeboats, while an Irish Marine Emergency Services helicopter also scanned the area.
IMES Cliff and Coastal Rescue teams from Ballycotton and Youghal were joined by gardai and volunteers in the land search together with friends of the missing men who travelled from Cork.
Searchers concentrated their efforts near Knockadoon Head, where the men's boat was found damaged on rocks, while divers used buoys to mark the area where the accident is believed to have happened.
Three men were thrown into the water and struck out for shore with Mr Joe Ryan leading the way and the two Kellys following behind, but they disappeared in the choppy seas.
Yesterday Mr Ryan was said to be shocked by the tragedy, which happened as they tested a new speedboat which they bought some months ago and had refurbished.