The search followed reports of a person entering the water on December 18
15:16, 26 Dec 2025Updated 15:22, 26 Dec 2025
Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery volunteers on the water(Image: Crosshaven Coast Guard / Facebook)
The search for a missing person came to a tragic end this afternoon following the recovery of a body from the River Lee by volunteers.
The Crosshaven Coast Guard crew has confirmed that they stood down their search after Mallow Search and Rescue “detected an image” on their side-scan sonar. They sent divers down to the location of interest and recovered a person from the water.
The search operation was in its ninth day, following reports that someone had entered the water near the Brian Boru Bridge in the early hours of Thursday, December 18.
Gardaí, members of the Coast Guard, Cork City firefighters, the National Ambulance Service, CCMPSR, Mallow Search and Rescue (MSAR), Irish Search Dogs and Blackwater and Cork Sub Aqua clubs’ recovery teams have all played a major role in the search over the past week, as they combed along the river, Lough Mahon and the wider Cork Harbour areas over Christmas using boats, drones, sonar technology and divers.
In a post shared to the Crosshaven Coast Guard’s Facebook page, a spokesperson said: “This was a huge team effort and has not stopped until we had closure. We would like to thank the countless members of the public for their support along the way and as alway all the agencies involved coming together to draw this to a close as quickly and safely as possible.
“Our condolences to the persons family at this very sad time. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
“Remember as always we are on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week 365 days a year to answer that all important call. If you see someone in difficulty or think they maybe in difficulty immediately dial 112/999 and ask for the Irish Coast Guard.”