Search for missing US balloonists ends

The Italian coast guard says it has called off the search for a pair of American balloonists who went missing last week in the Adriatic Sea.

Coast guard spokesman Lt Massimo Maccheroni said today the search had been called off at 3:30pm local time (1.30pm Irish time) after a final attempt to locate Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis had failed.

The searchers used a robotic vehicle to scan the seabed of the Adriatic for any remains.

The veteran pilots were flying in the 54th Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race when contact was lost last Wednesday.