Roscommon Search Operation Jan-Feb 2021

22 February 2021

From 16^th January – 20th February a sustained search operation was conducted in the Athlone area for a missing man. Extensive searches of the River Shannon, the Canal and adjacent floodplains were conducted.

Roscommon Civil Defence joined the search operation on Friday 29^th January and continued to assist up to the conclusion of the search on Saturday 20^th February. During the response various resources were deployed including Search Managers, Boat Crews, Drone Pilots and Search Teams.

Furthermore, welcome support from Mayo Civil Defence was provided on the weekend of 30^th – 31^st January using specialist remote sensing technology (Side-Scan Sonar) to search areas of the River Shannon. Other organisations who assisted in the search operation included the local Athlone Sub-Aqua Club, Shannonside Sub-Aqua Club (Banagher) and Longford Sub-Aqua Club.

Roscommon Civil Defence Boat Unit launched in Shannonbridge on Saturday morning 20^th February. The Boat Crew were searching between Clonmacnoise and Clonown during the morning and due to challenging weather conditions the crew had decided to return to Shannonbridge to recover the boat. On route back to Shannonbridge shortly after midday, the crew observed something of interest that warranted further Garda Síochána investigation. The Boat Crew remained on scene until the assistance of the Garda Water Unit arrived. The body of the missing man was recovery and escorted to Athlone. May he rest in peace.

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