The search initiated for a young lad lost near the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare won’t recommence until the weather improves later in the day. The Coast Guard, along with the police, have affirmed that the search will carry on the coming Thursday when the weather conditions are suitable.
Following the report of a disappearance of a young lad, thought to be 12 years old, an extensive land, sea, and air search operation was undertaken near 2pm on Tuesday. The lad, reported missing by his relatives, is speculated to be visiting from a foreign country.
Assumptions are being made that the lad got estray from his family who attempted to locate him but were unsuccessful. They then decided to inform the staff at the visitor centre about their missing child.
In response to the situation, the Police were informed first, followed by a request to the Irish Coast Guard to mobilize resources to aid in the search. The marine rescue coordination centre of the Irish Coast Guard at Valentia Island in Kerry then initiated a multi-department operation. This operation involved the Doolin unit of the Coast Guard, the Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat, and the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter.
Despite the search continuing for several hours, including the area around the cliff’s base, the terrain was unsafe for the personnel to conduct a detailed survey of the shoreline. The search was halted on Tuesday evening, but it was resumed on Wednesday morning.
The Doolin Coast Guard was accompanied by the drone team from Clare Civil Defence and the Garda Water Unit’s divers. Rescue 115 also provided assistance later in the day. The Police divers carried out an exhaustive search at the cliff base, but the boy remained untraceable.
The operation is scheduled to restart later today with Coast Guard volunteers from Doolin persisting with their search atop the cliff. The drone team from Cleggan Coast Guard in Galway will travel to Clare to aid their Doolin counterparts.
Volunteers from two Cork units and one from Kerry will join Clare Civil Defence to deploy their drones. Simultaneously, Galway and Mayo Civil Defence members will do searches of the Galway Bay coast as part of the ongoing operation.
The drone teams plan to scan the coastline when the tide subsides. The low tide is anticipated around 2.30 pm. Considering the southward direction of winds the previous day, they will extend the shore search northwards, further along the Cliffs of Moher, and up from Doolin’s coast.