by Andrew Carey
SEARCH and rescue units have been on 24 hour duty for almost a week trying to locate two young students who went missing separately in Limerick while out socialising.
This Thursday, extensive riverbank searches were being scaled back as units concentrated on deepwater dives near the Ardnacrusha power station and along the Dublin Road area at the Canal Bank.
21-year-old LIT student union Vice President Steven Kavanagh was last seen after he left a party on the outskirts of Limerick City in the early hours of last Thursday.
Steven is 5′ 10″ in height, with brown hair and of slight build. He was wearing blue jeans and a Limerick FC jacket at the time of his disappearance.
It is understood that the turbines at Ardnacrusha Power Station are to be turned off for a number of hours tomorrow to slow the flow of water and allow divers search deep water sections.
Meantime, Offaly native 19-year-old Mark Casey was last seen in the Pennywell area of the city again in the early hours of Friday last.
As his brother James pleaded for information from anyone who may have seen him, it has emerged that Mark became separated from a group of friends after they went for a night out at Angel Lane night club.
Unfamiliar with his surroundings, Mark wandered up from the Cornmarket area towards William Street before again turning back towards Lower Gerald Griffin Street and walking in the direction of St John’s Square.
“We have CCTV footage of him walking towards the hospital gate and then he turns up towards Garryowen”, explained James Casey before adding that his brother quickly turned back and walked down towards Pennywell.
“From there on, we have nothing.”
CCTV footage has Mark placed near the Dublin Road a short time later.
“He was here for a friend’s birthday party and lost the lads. He had no clue of where he was – we are from a small village in Offaly and this was all new to him. He was supposed to be staying in the Kilmurray student village but he never got there”, explained James.
Described as 5′ 7″, Mark is an arts student at NUI Galway and was wearing grey chino pants with a dark coloured navy t-shirt and grey collar.
Anyone with information in relation to either case of these missing students is asked to contact Gardaí at Henry Street on 061 212400.
