Ten days remain in Union Hall search

The official search for the two remaining fishermen still missing off the coast of Union Hall will end in 10 days time. The operation is currently hampered by the short winter days, with the key operational times for low water searches occuring in the darker hours. A lower number of volunteers have also turned out this week, with many forced to return to their everyday jobs.

However, acting divisional controller with Valentia Coastguard John Draper said that the search for skipper Michael Hayes (52) and his Egyptian crew member, Saied aly Eldin (24) will continue until Sunday week with “intensity”, adding that 21 days is the official length of time allocated for a coastguard search.