Divers search river for missing Latvian man
Friday August 17th 2007

Divers from the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service are searching the Avoca River in Arklow today (Friday) for the body of a 28-year-old Latvian man who is believed to have drowned early on Sunday morning.

The man, who was living in Drogheda, had been in Arklow over the weekend visiting a 24-year-old friend, also orginally from Latvia but now living in Arklow.

According to reports the pair had been out socialising in the town on Saturday night before deciding to take a swim in the river at about 3.00 a.m. on Sunday.

The pair left their clothes on rocks beside South Quay, directly opposite the entrance to the marina.

While the younger man safely returned to shore and collected his belongings, his companion did not.

The alarm was not raised until 8.00 a.m. Sunday morning when a passer by, believed to be a Garda, found the clothes still beside the river.

Gardaí began to investigate who they might belong but the full story did not emerge until some hours later when the Arklow-based Latvian reported his friend missing.

Arklow Lifeboat operations manager Jim Tyrrell said the current in that part of the river was not particularly strong on Saturday night and said the river at its deepest there was between 10 and 12 feet.

Gardaí are not releasing the name of the missing man until they can contact relatives in Latvia.