None of the four bodies recovered following a fishing tragedy off the Wexford coast yesterday was wearing a lifejacket. A member of the local coastguard, Mr Declan Hern, also confirmed that the five anglers rescued were similarly without lifejackets.
The dead included three generations of the same family.
Four people drowned when their boat, the Pisces, sank in calm waters off Fethard-on-Sea, just before noon. Three boys - aged 11, 13 and 17 - and two adults were rescued. Another boy, a 14-year-old, is missing, presumed dead. He was last seen holding onto a plastic drum.
An investigation has begun into the cause of the accident, which happened in fair but foggy weather conditions.
The dead men were named last night as: Mr Jim Cooney, a prominent undertaker from New Ross, Co Wexford, who was in his sixties; Mr Seamus Doyle, who was in his 40s and a son-in-law of Mr Cooney; Mr John Cullen, also in his 40s and from New Ross; and Mr Martin Roche, who was in his sixties and from Galbally, Enniscorthy.
Mr Doyle's son Mark is missing. Another son, Patrick, survived the accident as did Mr Cullen's son, Paul, and Derek O'Connor and Shane O'Neill, all from the New Ross area. The skipper of the Pisces, Mr Paddy Barden, who was leading the party on an angling trip, also survived.
All of those rescued by a local fishing boat survived by clinging to plastic drums when the vessel sank 1½ miles off Baginbun Head. The dead were removed to Ardkeen Hospital in Waterford.
The survivors were taken to Wexford General Hospital, where they were said to be uninjured and recovering well.
Coastguard units from Fethard and Kilmore Quay, and local fishing vessels and sub-aqua teams from Hook Head, Wexford and Kilkenny, searched all day for the missing boy, Mark Doyle, but without success. A Sikorsky helicopter also took part in the search, but was forced to withdraw because of poor visibility.
A spokesman for the Department of the Marine said an investigation into the accident had already begun. An inspector from the newly established Marine Casualty Investigation Board visited the scene of the accident yesterday. Any boat carrying passengers for profit had to be licensed, the spokesman said.
Local politicians were among those who visited the scene of the rescue efforts here yesterday.
The Minister of State at the Department of Marine, Mr John Browne, said the tragedy was "a great shock" for the people of Wexford and for New Ross in particular. "Lessons will have to be learned from this tragedy; but at the moment our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased".
Mr Barden is understood to have purchased the Pisces locally a few months ago. Garda sub-aqua divers will today inspect the boat on the seabed. Initial inspection by divers yesterday appeared to show no damage to the hull.
One of the divers, Mr Vincent Furlong, said that despite the stormy sea conditions, there was "reasonable" visibility underwater.
He said the rescue team had carried out a sweep of about 40 metres around the vessel, which "was sitting upright on the bottom in about 12 metres of water". The divers came across wellingtons, fishing rods and oilskins from the boat.
Another diver, Mr Billy O'Connor, told RTÉ News: "It's extremely difficult mainly because of the fog. There's a fierce swell in the water and the wind and the tide were running together this morning."
Lifeboats Ireland, in a statement last night, said the search for the missing teenager was called off due to worsening visibility in dense fog and failing light. The search, under coordinator Mr Eugene Kehoe of the Kilmore Quay lifeboat Mary Margaret, is due to resume at first light (6 a.m.) this morning.
When the Irish Lights vessel Granuaile arrived on the scene yesterday, three of its boats joined the search team.
