18/02/2002

Navy drafted in to assist in search for three family members

The British and Irish Navy has been drafted in assist in the search for three family members whose fishing boat went missing off the coast of County Down.

The move was confirmed by Fisheries Minister Bríd Rodgers on Monday in the Stormont Assembly who said the Irish Government was sending naval vessel Le Etna from County Cork to assist in the search for the missing trawler carrying three generations of the Greene family. The vessel left Cork on Monday afternoon and is expected to arrive in the early hours of Tuesday morning to sweep the seabed around the County Down coastline.

Meanwhile HMS Bridport was dispatched from Scotland after another Royal Naval vessel which was en route had to divert to Belfast to deliver a crew member to hospital after he fell down a hatch and injured himself.

Families and fishermen in Kilkeel had called on the Royal Navy to join the search operation for the Tullaghmurray Lass which has been missing for three days.

Two helicopters and up to 25 boats from the Kilkeel fleet helped in the search for the missing vessel. However as hopes of finding the three alive evaporated over the weekend the Coastguard called off its rescue operation.

The eight-year-old boy, his 32-year-old father and 54-year-old grandfather were expected back in Kilkeel on Friday, but never returned from their fishing expedition on the vessel which was set to be decommissioned.

Two inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch in Southampton have also arrived in Kilkeel to investigate the loss of the fishing boat. They were making "initial inquiries", said a spokesman, adding that a third inspector was due to join them later Monday. (AMcE)

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