No chance that baby who fell from ferry is still alive, say coastguards:
Woman rescued from sea shortly after falling from ferry in Belfast Lough on Wednesday night but baby has not been found
Belfast Coastguard has ruled out any chance of finding a missing baby alive in the waters of the Irish Sea.
The child believed to be only a few days old fell into the sea along with its mother from a Stena ferry on route into Belfast Lough on Wednesday night.
A land and sea search resumed on Thursday at 8am around the lough after searches were called off late on Wednesday.
The baby's mother was recovered by crew from the ferry's pilot boat and is being treated at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.
Coastguard watch officer Jude McNiece said the search and rescue operation would end soon and the teams out in the lough would now focus on body recovery.
"We've got no chance of finding the child alive after 18 hours, so we will be handing over to the police for the recovery phase," McNeice said.
She thanked members of the public who have been helping with the search, but said it was better to leave it to the emergency services.
"It is a fairly dangerous stretch of coastline," she said.
"We know your intentions are very good, but please don't turn up to join in the search."
Thursday morning's search focused on the area between Holywood and Hazelbank on the north shore of Belfast lough.
Gareth Morrison, a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) deputy inspector, said all those involved in the search were "trying their absolute damnedest".
"All we're concerned about is finding a second person at this stage," he said.
"The weather today isn't helping us in that it is making flying for the helicopters much more difficult as well.
"The place is saturated at the moment with boats from Belfast harbour and the RNLI lifeboats from Donaghadee and Bangor," he added.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed that a baby was missing from the ferry which was sailing from Cairnryan on the western Scottish coast into Belfast.
Belfast Coastguard has ruled out any chance of finding a missing baby alive in the waters of the Irish Sea.
The child believed to be only a few days old fell into the sea along with its mother from a Stena ferry on route into Belfast Lough on Wednesday night.
A land and sea search resumed on Thursday at 8am around the lough after searches were called off late on Wednesday.
The baby's mother was recovered by crew from the ferry's pilot boat and is being treated at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.
Coastguard watch officer Jude McNiece said the search and rescue operation would end soon and the teams out in the lough would now focus on body recovery.
"We've got no chance of finding the child alive after 18 hours, so we will be handing over to the police for the recovery phase," McNeice said.
She thanked members of the public who have been helping with the search, but said it was better to leave it to the emergency services.
"It is a fairly dangerous stretch of coastline," she said.
"We know your intentions are very good, but please don't turn up to join in the search."
Thursday morning's search focused on the area between Holywood and Hazelbank on the north shore of Belfast lough.
Gareth Morrison, a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) deputy inspector, said all those involved in the search were "trying their absolute damnedest".
"All we're concerned about is finding a second person at this stage," he said.
"The weather today isn't helping us in that it is making flying for the helicopters much more difficult as well.
"The place is saturated at the moment with boats from Belfast harbour and the RNLI lifeboats from Donaghadee and Bangor," he added.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed that a baby was missing from the ferry which was sailing from Cairnryan on the western Scottish coast into Belfast.
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