Search for rescue diver suspended

A massive search for a rescue diver and a fishing boat captain believed to have gone down with his vessel off the coast of Wexford was suspended tonight.

It is now feared the capsizing of the fishing boat, Rising Sun, on Tuesday off the Wexford coast may have claimed the lives of two of the people on board and the search diver.

One of two civilian divers, Billy O’Connor, failed to return from a dive to look for the body of the skipper of the capsized vessel, Patrick Colfer, 37, from Slade, on Thursday.

The other diver lost visual contact during the dive at 3.25pm yesterday with his colleague when he was coming up, just seven metres from the surface.

The massive Irish Coastguard led search for the missing rescue diver and captain has involved a naval ship, search and rescue helicopters, many fishing boats, the Rosslare coastguard lifeboat, the Kilmore Quay lifeboat and dive teams from all over the south east.

Despite searching 80 sq miles south of the Saltee Islands and along the coast between Carnsore Point and Fethard there was no sign of the men.

A spokesman for the Irish Coastguard said the only boat remaining near the wreckage of the Rising Sun for the night was the naval vessel the LE Orla.

“The search and rescue mission has now been changed to a search and recovery operation,” a spokesman for the Irish Coastguard said tonight.

“Tomorrow morning at low tide every coastguard unit from Carnsore Point to Fethard will be searching, as will the lifeboats and the helicopters.”

The Irish Coastguard said the searchers had faced changeable weather throughout the day.

“It was predicted to be a very bad,” he said. “It was changeable throughout the day visibility was poor, and the seas were rough at times. Gale force winds have been predicted for the area.”

Meanwhile, a large crowd attended the funeral of Jimmy Meyler, one of the two men taken from the water around seven hours after the Rising Sun capsized at 3.30pm on Tuesday. But Mr Meyler, a father-of-four in his late 40s, was pronounced dead on arrival in Wexford General Hospital.

The funeral of Mr Meyler at Ballyhack Cemetery, Ramsgrange in Wexford today was attended by Ian Tierney, 26, who appears to be the sole survivor of the Rising Sun tragedy.

The 26-foot Rising Sun went down in 52m of water at 3.30pm on Tuesday.

A full investigation has been launched by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.

It is understood the men had been taking in lobster pots on the Rising Sun near Carnsore Point when it went down.