Search continues for teenager swept into river
A full scale search operation was continuing today for a teenager swept into a river while playing football with his younger sister.
Azhar Hussain, 19, was trying to retrieve a ball from the Easkey River in Easkey, Co Sligo, yesterday afternoon when he lost his footing and fell into the water.
The young man’s family – who have been running an Indian restaurant in the village for the past year and a half – alerted emergency services when they failed to find him.
The coastguard helicopter based at Sligo was launched to help the rescue team from Killala Bay and the Sligo Bay lifeboat search for the teenager around the river behind the village post office.
But the helicopter was forced to return to its base after its fuel became low and darkness fell around 6.30pm.
Local garda officers from Ballina, Co Mayo, and the Killala coastguard team continued searching for around another hour.
The search was resumed at first light today with the help of garda sub-aqua divers this afternoon.
Locals believe the young man would not have been swept out to sea because there are a number of deep pools and rapids in the river before it reaches the Atlantic.
Searches were today concentrating on these pools.
