Teenager missing after falling into Sligo river

A full-scale search operation was continuing last night for a teenager swept into a river while playing football with his sister.

Azhar Hussain (19) was trying to retrieve a ball from the Easkey river at Easkey, Co Sligo, on Sunday afternoon when he lost his footing and fell into the water.

The young man's family, who run an Indian restaurant in the village, alerted emergency services when they failed to find him.

The Coast Guard helicopter based at Sligo, a rescue team from Killala Bay, Garda divers and the Sligo Bay lifeboat all participated in the search, which commenced on Sunday evening.

Gardaí said last night the search operation, which was continuing as darkness fell, had so far failed to find the missing teenager. Locals believe the young man would not have been swept out to sea because there are deep pools and rapids in the river before it reaches the Atlantic.

The searches carried out yesterday concentrated on these pools in the river.