Naval divers fail to locate body of missing Pole

NAVAL divers continued to work in extremely murky water yesterday as they searched for the body of a Polish man presumed drowned after the car he was a passenger in went off a cross-river ferry.

An eight-man diving team concentrated their efforts in an area a few hundred yards south of the ferry crossing in Cork harbour.

They were using portable sonar equipment to detect large shapes underwater in the hope of locating the Volkswagen Polo which fell off the ferry at about 6.45pm last Sunday, as it was halfway across the channel between Glenbrook and Carrigaloe.

Naval press officer Lieutenant Commander Martin Brett said the current in the area was quite strong and a car could be washed down as far as Verolme dockyard or Monkstown pier.

Parts of the channel are up to 20 metres deep.

Waterborne sweeps of the harbour were also undertaken by RNLI and Civil Defence personnel in ribs and some small boats manned by local volunteers.

Among them was 70-year-old John Geary, declared a hero for rescuing the driver of the car which went into the water.

The 32-year-old driver, also Polish, was subsequently arrested by gardaí and detained for reckless endangerment.

He was released without charge from Cobh garda station shortly before 8pm on Monday and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

Superintendent Pat Sheahan, who is leading the garda investigation, said the family of the 28-year-old Polish passenger in the car had been informed he was missing.

He has been named as Krystian Mielnik who was living at No 4, Whitepoint Moorings, Cobh.

Mr Mielnik came from Koszalin in Poland. He was single and worked at a factory in Little Island.

Supt Sheehan said gardaí had taken statements from all passengers and crew who were on the ferry when the accident occurred.

The Guileen coastguard unit, under the direction of Liam Hegarty, carried out searches along the shoreline between Marino Point and the deep water quay in Cobh yesterday, while a coastguard helicopter from Waterford carried out surveillance from the air.

Supt Sheahan urged people sailing in the harbour to keep a look out.

“We are also urging people who own land adjacent to the harbour to check their shoreline,” Supt Sheahan added.

The search will resume today.