Rescue officials have recovered a body in the search for a fisherman who was missing overnight.
The body – understood to be that of a man in his early 50s – was recovered in the vicinity of Blackball Head off west Cork this morning.
A search was underway after the alarm was raised when a debris field was spotted in the area.
The man had gone on a fishing trip from Castletownbere around 6pm on Monday evening.
He had been operating in a small boat and it is feared the vessel was wrecked on rocks leaving a debris field off Blackball Head.
The Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 was scrambled and was only minutes from the scene when the body was recovered by vessels combing the area.
Rescue officials formally stood down the helicopter when the remains were found and recovered.
Local fishing vessels had joined with the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat in searching for the missing man.
The search operation commenced shortly after 7am and was co-ordinated by the Coast Guard centre in Valentia.
Following the successful recovery of the remains, the body was brought to Castletownbere by the RNLI vessel for transfer to Cork University Hospital (CUH).
Both the South Cork Coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist have been informed.
A full post mortem examination is now scheduled to take place.
It is believed the man drowned.
A file will be submitted to the South Cork Coroner’s office for an inquest which is likely to take place next year.
The death is being treated as a tragic accident.
The fisherman was from the west Cork area and was described locally as very experienced.
He had been out fishing for pollock when the tragedy occurred.