THE largest open water search in the history of the Irish State is to take place for the missing crew of the coastguard rescue helicopter R116.
The search, scheduled to start tomorrow, April 8, is a combined effort between the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI, Irish Air Corps, the Irish Navy, Civil Defence and over 80 civilian vessels to locate Ciarán Smith and Paul Ormsby.
The fleet of boats and aircraft will conduct an extensive open water and shoreline search from Co. Mayo to Co. Donegal to locate the missing crew.
The area on the west coast of Ireland to be searched for missing coast guard crew Ciarán Smith and Paul Ormsby. (Picture: The Irish Coast Guard)Aran Mór, Killybegs, Bundoran, Sligo Bay, Killala, Ballyglass and Achill are amongst the areas to be searched.
Earlier this week Orla Smith, sister of one of the missing crewmen, made an appeal to the fishing community to help locate and bring home her brother Ciarán and his colleague Paul.
“It’s a living nightmare for all of us, and for Paul Ormsby’s family,” Ms Smith said. “We’re doing our best to stay as strong as possible, and as positive as we possibly can, but it’s really tough.
“We need those boys home now,” she said. “My parents need them home, my sister-in-law needs him home, my nieces need him home.
“They have to come home, we need to find them.”
The two crewmen were onboard the Dublin-based search and rescue helicopter R116 when it lost contact with the coastguard and disappeared 10 miles off Blacksod Bay, Co. Mayo on March 14.
The bodies of Captains Dara Fitzpatrick and Mark Duffy were retrieved but their fellow crewmen have yet to be found almost one month on.
The Irish Coast Guard said the wreckage of Rescue 116 was lifted from the seabed last weekend but failed to locate the two missing crew.
