Divers attempt to re-float sunken fishing vessel

Efforts are being made this evening to re-float the Pisces fishing boat which sank off the coast of Co Wexford yesterday with…

Efforts are being made this evening to re-float the Piscesfishing boat which sank off the coast of Co Wexford yesterday with the loss of five lives.

Navy divers and members of the Garda sub-aqua team have dived to the vessel which lies in approximately 36 feet of water about a mile from the shore to see if they can re-float the vessel this evening.

At Waterford Regional Hospital a post-mortem examination is being carried out on the body of 14-year-old Mark Doyle whose body was found close to the wreckage of the Pisces, which sank suddenly off Fethard-on-Sea on Saturday.

Gardaí and accident investigators were trying to establish how the fishing boat sank killing him, his father, grandfather and two other men.

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Mark's brother Patrick was one of five people - four of them boys and youths - to survive when the 26ft boat went down after taking on water about a mile off shore, two hours after the 10-strong party had put out from Fethard for a day's sea angling.

Meanwhile safety groups pleaded with boat-goers to wear buoyancy aids on or around water after it emerged that none of those aboard the Pisces were wearing life jackets.

The bodies of Mark's father Seamus Doyle (33), and his grandfather Jim Cooney, a 60-year-old undertaker from New Ross, were also at the hospital, along with those of John Cullen (45), and Martin Roche, of Enniscorthy, County Wexford.

The survivors, aged between eight and 20, were Mark's brother Patrick, Paul Cullen - the son of John Cullen - Shane O'Neill and Derek O'Connor. The Pisces'skipper, Mr Paddy Barron, was also rescued.

Two of the five were still being treated at Wexford District Hospital for shock tonight. None had life-threatening injuries.

A Coastguard spokesman praised local sailors who went to the aid of the stricken boat when it issued a distress call before noon yesterday. "The local boats that were on the scene so quickly certainly saved lives," he said.

Mr Tommy Roche, a fisherman who reached the area just 20 minutes after the call for help, said the five survivors he found were within minutes of drowning.

Superintendent Tom Saunderson, said: "The gardaí will carry out an investigation into this incident. That will be carried out in conjunction with the Department of the Marine and depending on that investigation we will see where we go from there.

PA