Image
- Credit:
Source: Facebook/IrishCoastGuard
Tuesday, 4 March 2014 - 13:00
Ireland calls off search for missing Dutchman
The three-week search party for the missing Dutch man who went missing off Sheep's Head Peninsula has been stopped by the Irish Coast Guard.
Two Dutch men were reported missing on 8 February after they didn't return from a walk. They were familiar to the area, as they had visited it several times before, and were staying in a house on the peninsula. One of the men's mothers was the one to file the missing person report.
One of the men's body was eventually found and recovered from an "inaccessible location" by helicopter, the journal.ie reports.
The search for the second man went on, but suffered interference with the bad weather. Stormy weather, high winds and rough seas put a impeded the Coast Guards from the search, which was put on hold a number of times.
Many people became involved with the search. Service men and women from the coast guard, the Search and Rescue Dog Association, the navy and gardaí divers were joined by members of the public.
A low tide and mild weather on Saturday bode well for the ongoing search, the Irish Coast Guard said. Search teams managed to climb down into a blow hole to investigate the cave at Sheep's Head.
This proved futile, as nothing was found.
The Irish Coast Guard posted a Facebook message in relation to the search, stating:
"Hope never ends though that the bodies may yet be recovered. RIP and a note of thanks to all the Coast Guard teams and sister agencies that took part over the last three weeks."
They also added "out prayers are with the family."