Search team hopes to resume dives for missing Kilkenny man after more than a week

As the search for the man missing in the River Nore now enters its tenth day, divers have been unable to enter the water in more than a week.

Rescue services are now hoping for a change in conditions as they search for a man reported missing in the River Nore since Monday, February 10.

Searches for the man reported to have entered the water close to John’s Bridge in the city have been severely hampered by Storms Ciara and Dennis and the conditions they brought about. The River Nore is carrying debris, experiencing strong currents and a high-swell, and visibility underwater is poor.

It is hoped that if conditions improve today or tomorrow, there may well be a window to search for the missing man before the apparent onset of yet another storm, Storm Ellen, over the weekend.

“There is a small window available to us,” a local Garda source told KilkennyNow.ie.

“The problem we are having is even though the storms have passed, it takes a number of days for the water levels to return to normal.

“We have had further rain since the weekend, which is affecting the river water still.

“We hope over the next couple of days that will ease considerably, and we will be able to resume the search once more.

“We have not been able to get any divers in the water so far this week,” they concluded.

Members of the Garda Diving Team, Kilkenny Civil Defence, Kilkenny Sub Aqua Club and the Kilkenny Gardai all remain on stand-by to resume the search but have been unable to enter the water since early last week.