A RESCUE operation continued in Cork late last night after a car containing two men slipped off a ferry and entered the water as it was approaching Carrigaloe near Cobh.
A massive search involving six naval divers and a helicopter was launched shortly after 6.45pm when the Naval Service received a call for assistance from the Port of Cork.
The incident occurred as the Cross River Ferry service from Glenbrook in Passage West was approaching Cobh Ferry Terminal.
Two men in their thirties were in the car.
One man was rescued from the water and taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment. He was badly shaken by the incident but suffered no physical injuries.
Gardaí, naval divers and the emergency services including Crosshaven Lifeboat were last night attempting to find the second man.
The car was recovered from the water but there was no sign of the missing man.
Searches continued off the shore line late last night but they were hampered by poor weather conditions.
The Passage West to Cobh Ferry service has been in operation since March 1993.
The crossing from Glenbrook to Carrigaloe takes in the region of four minutes.
The ferries run daily and reservations are not required.
Local Labour Councillor John Mulvihill said the ferry has an impeccable safety record and there is no memory of any incident of this type in the 16 years of its existence.
Uncertainty surrounded the cause of the accident last night. Two separate investigations will be launched today by gardaí and the Department of Transport.