Rescue 116 tragedy: ‘The wait is just the hardest thing’

Strong winds and heavy sea conditions have severely hampered the search operation for Irish Coast Guard helicopter R116 in Blacksod, Mayo.

Three crew members, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby, and Ciarán Smith, remain missing at sea while the cross-agency search team hopes to carry out a major sea scan and dive during a “weather window” on Sunday.

Declan Geoghegan of the Irish Coast Guard explained the plan for the weekend: “The weather has turned and there’s a huge swell out there, about 6m. We’ve a plan together for the weekend involving the Marine Institute and the Granuaile [an Irish Lights multi-function vessel measuring 80m]. ”