A MASSIVE sea search involving dozens of fishing vessels from across Ireland has failed to find two Irish Coast Guard crew members missing since a helicopter crash last month.
The search, described as the one of the biggest in Irish state history, saw teams from Counties Down, Wicklow, Dublin, Donegal, Clare and Tipperary take part in a co-ordinated operation to find any trace of Ciarán Smith and Paul Ormsby.
Both men have been missing since Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 crashed off the Co Mayo coast on March 14.
Four people were on board when it came down. Capt Dara Fitzpatrick died after she was rescued from the sea hours after the crash and the body of her co-pilot, Capt Mark Duffy, was later recovered from the wreckage.
More than 100 vessels took part in the day-long search on Saturday, just days after an appeal from relatives of the crew members for assistance from coastal communities.
Many travelled to the area through the night to be involved.
All those taking part were given specific areas to monitor, with smaller boats working close to the coastline and larger vessels searching further out in the Atlantic.
The Shannon and Sligo-based rescue helicopters also continued to comb the coastline, while a huge shoreline search was carried out.
The Mourne Mountain Rescue Team from Co Down were among the volunteer teams who helped search the shore.
Despite the extensive search - which stretched over hundreds of square miles from Co Donegal to Co Mayo - no signs of the two crew members were found.
Speaking afterwards, Orla Smith, sister of Ciarán Smith, said the families had been given renewed hope by the support shown by the fishing communities.
She also said there were no words to thank those involved for their tireless efforts to bring the two men home.
The wreckage of the helicopter was lifted from the Irish Sea on April 2 from where it crashed near Blackrock Island.
A detailed search of the sea bed around the island is still continuing with hopes that the two men could still be close to where the aircraft landed.
The operation is expected to continue throughout the coming days.
An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Unit is also ongoing, but it has said there is no indication of any mechanical problems in the seconds before the impact.
