Volunteers join emergency services in search for hiker

More than 70 rescue volunteers and emergency services personnel are taking part in the search for a hiker who has been missing from Cnoc Bhréanainn in Co Kerry for a week.

Sebastian Jaworski, 46, was last seen near the summit last Sunday afternoon.

Poor weather with low cloud has hampered the search in recent days, but conditions have improved today.

Mr Jaworski is an experienced mountaineer who knows the area well.

The alarm was raised when he failed to return to work in Cork on Monday morning.

Rescue dogs, a team of drone pilots and the RNLI Lifeboat crew from Fenit in Co Kerry have joined members of the Coast Guard unit based in Daingean Uí Chúis and the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team.

The Coast Guard helicopter from Waterford, Rescue 117, flew an absailing team drawn from the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team to the summit this morning.

They are absailing down cliffs at the summit to check gullies that have not previously been searched.

The RNLI Lifeboat from Fenit is conducting a search of the water at the base of the cliffs.

Also taking part in the search are mountain rescue team members from Dublin and Wicklow, the Glen of Imaal, Galway and South East Mountain Rescue.

A team of dog handlers and their dogs from the Search and Rescue Dogs Association are taking part.

The Iveragh Coast Guard Unit from south Kerry are conducting the drone search. Gardaí are present and the search is being co-ordinated from the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Valentia.

A re-assessment of the search will take place tomorrow morning, if no trace of the missing climber is found today.

Colm Burke from the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team said the better weather meant drones were sent up to assist the effort to find Mr Jaworski.

Mr Burke said Mr Jaworski was last seen on Sunday when he was heading towards a feature called An Eisc, which has a descent route that would have taken him back to his vehicle which was parked at An Fhaiche.

Anyone who was in the area around Cnoc Bhréanainn last Sunday and who may have seen Mr Jaworski is asked to contact gardaí.

Kerry Mountain Rescue Team is also appealing to anyone who is planning on hiking this weekend in the area to be aware of the search operation and to leave the search teams to do their work.