Search efforts for missing student resume off South-West Coast

Search efforts to find missing 21 year old student Kevin Kershaw as well as three other men now feared drowned are continuing today off the South-West coast.

Kershaw, 21, had sent a last minute desperate text to his father, asking him to ring him quickly.

The Naval Service said in a statement this morning that it is deeply conscious of the families and friends of the missing men and the wider fishing community and will begin diving on the wreck as soon as safe diving conditions prevail.

17 local fishing boats, the Baltimore and Courtmacsherry lifeboats, the Irish Coastguard helicopters, Gardaí and around 100 civil defence and coastguard volunteers are involved in today’s search efforts.

Last night’s operations were hampered by heavy seas and adverse weather conditions.

The Navy said they were concentrating their efforts “on pockets of debris in the bay where conditions are suitable for diving and have completed operations in those areas”.

Patrick Kershaw whose 21-year-old son Kevin is among those missing told Cork’s Red FM that the netting around the fishing vessel is causing major difficulties for divers as they cannot gain access to the trawler.