A search and recovery operation resumed in Kilkee this morning following the recovery of one of the missing Japanese tourists , Mr Eiji Takagi on Sunday.
Today’s search for Ms Ushio Azaki is being assisted by navy divers, facilitated by Kilkee Sub Aqua Club, while Kilkee and Doolin Coastguards are carrying out water and land searches.
Martony Vaughan, area officer with the Kilkee Irish Coastguard Unit outlined how the recovery operation was carried out on Sunday.
“A diving operation was facilitated just under St George’s Head by Kikee Sub Aqua Club. It started just after 11am on Sunday morning.
There were also members from Lough Derg, Ennis, Aughinish and Burren Sub Aqua Club involved. Shortly after 12 noon members of Kikee and Burren Sub Aqua Clubs, diving just under St George’s Head, discovered one of the casualties at a depth of 27 metres,” Mr Vaughan explained.
“The casualty was recovered to the Kilkee Coastguard boat and returned to the slipway in Kilkee where they were met by members of the gardaí and taken to the Kilkee Coastguard Unit rescue station. The casualty was transported from there to the University Hosptial Limerick by the local undertaker and gardaí” he added before detailing some of the groups involved in the extensive search on both land and sea.
“The search was ongoing all day Sunday by Kilkee, Doolin, Ballybunion Coastguards along with Clare, Laois and Tipperary Civil Defence. Rescue 115 joined for a sweep after the first casualty had been recovered,” Mr Vaughan explained.
The couple, Eiji Takagi and Ushio Azaki, aged 63 and 61 respectively, checked out of their hotel in Spanish Point on Saturday morning.
The Japanese tourists’ hired car was found at George’s Head car park in the east end of Kilkee. The couple were due to fly to Heathrow from Shannon Airport last Tuesday but they did not show up for their flight.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.