Police looking for two men still missing after their boat capsized in the Firth of Forth on Monday have admitted that hopes of finding them alive are fading with each passing minute.
A large-scale operation is still ongoing to find Jason Buchan, 35, and David Stead, 47, who were on board a small fishing vessel when it overturned in a squall.
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third man, Birrell Stewart, 30, was pulled from the sea by helicopter but was pronounced dead at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital.With the search for the two remaining men continuing, Chief Inspector Adrian Annandale, local area commander, said officers are still treating the case as a “high risk missing persons inquiry”.
But he acknowledged that the longer time wears on, the less likely it is the pair will be found alive.
“The search is continuing today and sadly as time goes on we’re in a position where it is becoming a search and recovery operation,” he said.
“We’d like to thank the local community for their support and we’re working closely with the families of the missing men.”
Chief Inspector Annandale would not speculate on reports the men may not have been wearing life jackets, and refused to touch on the men’s experience on the water.
“They are local men but I can’t speak for their own knowledge,” he said.
Police and Coastguard personnel are continuing to search the Firth of Forth off the coast of East Wemyss, taking in the coastline between West Wemyss and Kincraig Point.
That search is also extending a mile outwards into the estuary.
“Unfortunately we can’t speculate on what the tides or currents may or might be doing,” he added.For more, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.