The search for a man who entered the River Fergus in Ennis last week continued today.
On day 5 of the search and recovery operation, Civil Defence personnel deployed a rescue boat and jetski and carried out searches from Clarecastle to Ennis checking the water and riverbanks for any sign of the missing man. Divers from the Garda Water Unit also joined the search.
The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, carried out a number of a sweeps from where the man was reported to have entered the water as far as Clarecastle and south to where the River Fergus meets the Shannon Estuary.
The initial search was mounted after a male was observed entering the water at a bridge in the town centre at around 11 o’clock on Thursday night. After the alarm was raised a major multi-agency search and rescue operation was quickly mounted.
That operation involved Gardaí; units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station; the National Ambulance Service; Clare Civil Defence; Doolin Coast Guard unit and Rescue 115.
On Saturday divers from the search and recovery units of Ennis, Burren, Kilkee and Lough Derg Sub Aqua Clubs, all affiliated with Diving Ireland, joined the search. Rescue 115 also took part in the search on Saturday.
On Sunday, members of Killaloe/Ballina Search and Recovery Unit, which included members of Limerick Sub Aqua Club, assisted in the search. Civil Defence crews transported divers to search sites on along the river while also providing safety boat support.
Divers from the Garda Water Unit arrived in Clare on Sunday and launched a boat to carry a survey of the river before undertaking diving operations today.
