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Light aircraft: Searches continue for plane missing off the Antrim coast

Dense fog in Glenarm has impeded the search for a light aircraft, which crashed off the Antrim coast on Thursday. Two men, believed to be from England are still missing. Photo by Alan Lewis.
Dense fog in Glenarm has impeded the search for a light aircraft, which crashed off the Antrim coast on Thursday. Two men, believed to be from England are still missing. Photo by Alan Lewis. Dense fog in Glenarm has impeded the search for a light aircraft, which crashed off the Antrim coast on Thursday. Two men, believed to be from England are still missing. Photo by Alan Lewis.

SEARCHES are continuing for two men missing after their microlight aircraft crashed off the Antrim coast last Thursday.

The Ikarus C42 disappeared after leaving City of Derry Airport for Scotland.

It is understood the two missing men, who are feared to have died in the crash, are from England.

On Saturday the PSNI took over the search and along with volunteer group Community Rescue Service Northern Ireland are involved in a land, sea and and air operation along the Antrim coast.

The search covers a large area of water north and south of Carnlough, as far north as Garron Point and includes Carnlough Bay.

Speaking on Monday, Sean McCarry, of Community Rescue Service Northern Ireland, said there were no plans to scale back the search, despite nothing having been found in three days and a heavy fog creating difficulties for the search team.

"Visibility is difficult there's no question. This is probably the longest spell of fog along the coast we've had in a number of years, " he said.

"I don't have much hope for today," he added.

Wreckage belonging to the plane, including the tail fin, was discovered on Friday, but the search has unearthed nothing further since.

Mr McCarry said: "The focus would be to find any of the main fuselage which would be still intact.

"That would give us assistance in trying to recover whatever would be in the wreckage but also the Air Accident Investigation team would be able to come to a speedy conclusion.

"It is a massive area of water that needs searched, we have no entry point, we don't know what happened exactly.

"The search underwater is pretty much a needle in a haystack."