Rescue services in South America have failed to uncover any trace of an Irish mountaineer who disappeared in a remote stretch of the Peruvian Andes about 10 days ago. The Monkstown, Co Dublin, man went missing in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in the west of Peru while climbing with two companions early last week.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman last night confirmed the identity of the missing climber as Mr Brendan Donegan, a director with a Dublin-based advertising agency. His companions were named as Mr Derek Thompson, from Bray, and Mr Dermot Delaney, from Co Kildare. Both men assisted in the search.
Mr Donegan is a member of the Club Cualann mountaineering club in Dublin. It was unclear last night whether he disappeared before a planned ascent of nearby Huascaran, at 6768 metres the third highest in South America.
He was due to fly back to Ireland this week. The Cordillera Blanca range is is not considered especially treacherous by mountaineers.
The Foreign Affairs spokesman said that the Irish consul in Peru, Mr Michael Russell, was in daily contact with rescue services and that the family of the missing man were being kept up to date with developments.
Although this was his first climb in the Andes, Mr Donegan was an experienced mountaineer.