Fears were growing last night for the safety of a German couple missing in the Toe Head area of west Cork since last Thursday. An extensive search of the coastline yesterday failed to locate the two Germans who were last seen on New Year's Eve.
The couple are known to enjoy walking, and it is feared they may have been blown off rocks during strong winds.
The Germans - a 37-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman - have been working for the past few months as caretakers for a German reporter, Mr Dirk Koch, at his farm at Toe Head, outside Skibbereen.
The alarm was raised late on Saturday afternoon after the couple failed to show up at Cork Airport to collect Mr Koch, who had arrived from Germany. He rang a neighbour at Toe Head who found the lights left on in the house and the couple's car parked outside. A later search found they had left all their clothes in the house.
A major search began at first light yesterday by gardai assisted by three Irish Marine Emergency Services search and rescue teams from Toe Head, Baltimore and Glandore.
A Sikorski helicopter from Shannon joined in the search yesterday morning and made several sweeps of the treacherous coastline, but heavy swells and strong winds prevented local boats putting to sea and searching the coastline.
Searchers combing the remote headland spotted clothing in the sea yesterday morning but were unable to recover the garments.
Gardai also received reports that two people were seen walking on an exposed part of the headland last Friday afternoon.
Gardai and search co-ordinators called off yesterday's search shortly before 5 p.m. when dusk was reducing visibility. The search is due to resume at first light today.