Pisces was overloaded and unseaworthy according to report

The investigation into the sinking of the Pisces off the coast of Co Wexford last year has found that the trawler sank because it was not seaworthy, overloaded and unstable.

Five people, including three generations of the same family, died when the Pisces began taking on water and sank off Fethard-on-Sea on July 28th last year.

The victims included Jim Cooney, an undertaker from New Ross, his son-in-law Seamus Doyle and his 14-year-old grandson Mark Doyle.

Two friends of the family, Martin Roche and John Cullen, also died in the tragedy.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board's inquiry into the tragedy concluded that the boat got into difficulty because of a build-up of water in the space under the deck and on the deck itself.

The inquiry said this build-up happened because the Pisces was in poor condition, was not water-tight and had a number of large openings.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board said the Pisces was unstable when carrying the 10 people on board at the time of the sinking.

Even the movement of one or two people would have caused problems, it said, adding that the trawler was also not carrying sufficient life jackets or an inflatable raft.