A WIDESPREAD search is under way in the hills above Glencolumbkille in west Donegal for a tourist missing since Saturday when she went hillwalking.
The Coast Guard helicopter from Strandhill, Co Sligo, was involved in the search yesterday along with rescue units from Killybegs Coast Guard and three teams from Donegal Mountain Rescue, gardaí and local people using quad bikes in the hills.
Mountain rescue dog teams were due to join the search later yesterday.
The woman, a native of Texas, was said to be an experienced hill-walker but the alarm was raised on Sunday at about 2.30pm when she had not returned overnight to the Glencolumbkille hostel where she was staying.
She was named yesterday as Kelly Jones (41) from Texas, who works in the catering industry in Charleston, South Carolina.
One of the first areas searched by rescuers on Sunday evening was the 601 metre-high Sliabh League which has a sharp drop to the sea. By yesterday the search had moved on to the 234-metre Glen Head area. The US embassy in Dublin was contacted and it was trying to get in touch with some of the woman’s family in the US.
Garda Sgt Anthony Arnold said Ms Jones was an experienced hill-walker and was last seen on Saturday.
“At the moment she is a missing person. There have been sightings of her, the last one around 5.30pm in the Glencolumbkille area on Saturday evening.” The alert was raised when personal belongings in the hostel remained untouched by Sunday afternoon.
David Murray of Donegal Mountain Rescue said: “If she has been out for two nights, the conditions have not been too bad. Sunday night was fairly clear, Monday morning was fairly misty and wet and we have sunshine now, but with two nights there is a strong possibility of hypothermia. She did have hillwalking clothes on so we are working on the basis that she is either lost or has been injured.”
Mr Murray said the terrain was hard to navigate, especially when misty. Although the hills at the top were quite flat, they were also close to some very high drops, he added.