Search set to resume for man missing off south coast

A MAJOR air and sea search was expected to be resumed today at the Old Head of Kinsale for a Hungarian man feared missing.

The alarm was raised at about 5pm yesterday when gardaí in Kinsale were given a back-pack containing personal items and a letter, written in Hungarian, which was translated and found to be a suicide note.

The missing man, in his 30s, had been living in Cork city for some time.

Yesterday, at about 4pm he handed a back-pack to a group of day trippers at the Old Head, a popular walking and picnicking destination not far from Kinsale town.

He asked the group to take the bag to Kinsale gardaí.

The people he handed the back-pack to assumed he had found it, but when gardaí translated the note, the alarm was raised.

Navy ribs, an Air Corps fixed-wing plane and a rescue helicopter assisted lifeboat volunteers from Courtmacsherry, Crosshaven and Kinsale.

Searches on foot by gardaí and rescue personnel were also carried out along the cliffs at the Old Head.

As darkness fell last night no trace of the man had been found.

Earlier in the evening one of the search co-ordinators said that conditions were “near perfect” with good visibility, calm seas and light winds.

Last night, Garda Inspector Brendan Fogarty stressed that there had been no confirmed sightings of any man in the water off the Old Head of Kinsale.

He said investigations to trace the man’s last known movements continue and sea and cliff searches will resume this morning.

He described the missing man as tall and slim, with fair hair but said officers are trying to establish what clothes the man was wearing.

“I would appeal to anyone with any information to contact either Kinsale or Bandon Garda stations,” said Inspector Fogarty.

Gardaí were understood to have made contact with friends of the missing man as part of their investigation.