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A MASSIVE DAY-long search for the two missing crew from Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116.
Over 100 boats took to the waters on the northwest coast yesterday in the search for crew members Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith.
However, despite a massive search area, no trace of either was found.
Rescue 116 crashed three weeks ago while preparing to refuel at Blacksod, County Mayo.
The wreckage of the helicopter was recovered on Sunday, but there was no sign of missing crew members Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith.
Captain Dara Fitzpatrick was recovered at sea soon after the helicopter went down, but died later in hospital. The body of pilot Captain Mark Duffy was found in the wreckage of the helicopter last week.
Investigators have been working on the theory that part of the tail section of the aircraft struck rocks close to Blackrock lighthouse before crashing into the sea.
Searches will continue around the crash site and fishing vessels are being asked to remain vigilant.
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It was an absolute credit to the SAR, commercial and civilian fleet to see them out in numbers. Some of those Donegal tank boats would match the navy in size. And the smaller inshore craft would have invaluable experience of local tides and terrain. Anyone who takes to sea always has a deep reverence for the rescue services. They literally are your only hope in an emergency. The fact that they were winch men, the ones that will literally pluck you from the jaws of death; makes it even more sad. Four genuine superheros were lost but certainly not forgotten. Still hope yet too bring the two lads home.
@Leo Powers: well said. I just want to thank everyone involved for their time and perseverance. It is so wonderful the community they have that have come from far and wide. They think the bodies could be closer to the crash site and are examining the sea bed. I hope they’re right. Either way they’ve definitely helped the grieving families involved. Inspirational.
@Leo Powers: 100%
The finest of us deserve nothing less than the very best of the rest of us.
Maybe the sea is going to be their final resting place .. very sad time for their families ..
@Suzie Sunshine: Sadly so, have a Wreath Laying Ceremony and say Goodbye, RIP.
@Maire: wouldn’t be fair to give up looking so quickly.
@Suzie Sunshine: a genuine and heartfelt effort by all but sadly, with the passage of three weeks since the incident, it is more likely that they have gone further out to see beyond the reach of such an effort. Hopefully they are still around Blackrock island, perhaps underwater, but very unlikely. It’s a terrible tragedy for their family and further compounded by the lack of a body to grieve for. #RIPR116
@John Clarke: I was talking to a sea rescue volunteer and he was saying that something to do with the body that it will hold you under the water for at least a few weeks before it’ll float up to the top. . . Less likely now after all this time .
@Suzie Sunshine: The gases in the body would take time to build up enough to float the body to the surface. The thought is that the guys may be still strapped into their seats hence why they’ve not been found. I don’t think the body would produce enough gases to lift them if that is the case!
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