Search for three people missing on a fishing boat off the North Wales coast to resume

A search for three people missing on a fishing boat off the North Wales coast will resume at first light today.

The Nicola Faith vessel was expected back in the port at midnight on Wednesday after leaving port earlier in the day.

A large scale search co-ordinated by HM Coastguard was launched on Thursday with seven RNLI lifeboats from Rhyl, Llandudno, Conwy and Beaumaris and Hoylake on the Wirral.

Coastguard aircraft searching a large area of the North Wales coast on Thursday

Rhyl, Bangor and Llandudno Coastguard Rescue Teams and a Coastguard helicopter and fixed-wing plane have also been involved with the search.

North Wales Police are also involved and broadcasts have been made to alert vessels in the nearby area.

Despite the extensive search to find the vessel and its crew, nothing has been found so far.

On board RNLI Rhyl Shannon-Class AWB

Duty Controller for HM Coastguard Rob Priestley said: “We are continuing to search a wide area to try and find this vessel with all the assets we have at our disposal. We’re also asking other vessels in the area to keep a look out for anything that might also assist the search.”

Speaking to ITV News on Thursday, RNLI spokesperson Paul Frost said:

“Everybody involved in the rescue organisations and the search are very concerned now. It’s coming up to nearly 24 hours since the vessel was last seen.”

“There’s obviously a lot of worry about what could have happened to it, where it’s gone.”

“All our thoughts are with the families of the people on board. We will carry on searching until either light stops us or the coastguard calls off the search.”

He said: “We’ve been searching an area between Puffin Island and Hoylake at the entrance to the River Mersey, up to about 15 miles out.”

“It’s over hundreds of square miles, normal lifeboat operations are between 15 and 20 miles but the various search units are criss-crossing the whole of the area.”

Lifeboat images : RNLI