Searches for five missing fishermen scaled down

Irish and British rescue services have scaled down three separate searches for five fishermen missing at sea

Irish and British rescue services have scaled down three separate searches for five fishermen missing at sea. Searching will resume at first light today.

The searches off the south-west and north-west coasts were suspended yesterday afternoon with no sign of the two men from Donegal, one man from Whiddy Island and two men from the Spanish flagship Pescalanza.

A British naval vessel has been called in by Falmouth coastguard, which was co-ordinating the response to the capsize of the Pescalanza some 80 miles southwest of Mizen Head on Monday. Six of the 12 crew members were rescued, four bodies were recovered and two men are missing.

Valentia Radio, an Air Corps Casa fishery patrol plane and the Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES) Sikorsky from Shannon co-operated.

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In Bantry, Naval Service divers and members of the IMES Goleen coast and cliff unit joined the continuing search for Whiddy islander Patrick Courcey (25), who is believed to have fallen overboard between Bantry and Whiddy at the weekend.

In Donegal, an Air Corps helicopter will scan the coastline further north from Dawros Head this morning on the fourth day of efforts to locate the bodies of Mr Michael Jack Boyle, a father of four from Rosbeg, and Mr Thomas Moore (24), a single man from Narin near Portnoo.

The two men had been hauling crab pots in calm weather on Saturday.

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins is the former western and marine correspondent of The Irish Times