Community Rescue Service leads multi-day search operations across Belfast and beyond

The Community Rescue Service (CRS) teams have carried out an extensive series of coordinated search and rescue operations across multiple districts of Northern Ireland over the past week, responding to a number of high-risk missing person cases.

The organisation’s volunteers were active across South and North Belfast, Greenisland, and Coleraine, deploying search boats, dog teams, and working alongside various emergency service partners.

MONDAY, 16 JUNE

CRS teams were first tasked by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to South Belfast, initiating a search for a high-risk missing person. Operations included the deployment of a Search and Rescue (SAR) boat on the River Lagan.

During this river search, the SAR boat crew responded to an emergency involving a person who had entered the river downstream. Volunteers acted swiftly, administering immediate aid before bringing the individual to a place of safety.

The boat crew then resumed their original search pattern and were joined by a dog search unit from the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA). All teams stood down later that evening, with a coordinated plan to resume efforts the next morning.

Simultaneously, CRS teams responded to another high-risk missing person case in North Belfast. Despite extensive searching, operations were stood down after dark, with plans in place for continuation.

TUESDAY, 17 JUNE

The Greenisland area became the focal point for a third high-risk search. CRS volunteers navigated exceptionally challenging terrain alongside colleagues from SARDA, the Police Search and Rescue Team, Skywatch NI, and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART).

The search persisted throughout the day before being paused in the late evening.

In parallel, searches recommenced in both South and North Belfast. In the South, volunteers again deployed a SAR boat on the River Lagan. In the North, teams were bolstered by SARDA Ireland North and continued searching until nightfall.

Tragically, in the Northern District, a CRS SAR boat was deployed to the River Bann near Coleraine following reports of a person entering the water.

CRS later confirmed:

“We regret to inform you that our volunteers located a body believed to be that of the missing person. The management and volunteers of the CRS extend our prayers and sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased.”

WEDNESDAY, 18 JUNE

CRS teams redeployed to Greenisland, where the missing person was successfully located. Volunteers provided immediate first aid with assistance from Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), before transferring the individual to the care of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS).

Searches continued in South and North Belfast, including the River Lagan. All efforts followed planned search protocols and were stood down again at dusk, with further operations scheduled for Thursday.

THURSDAY, 19 JUNE

CRS volunteers once again returned to South Belfast to continue searches. The SAR boat resumed operations on the River Lagan, where a body was later discovered.

“Around midday we regret to inform you that our volunteers located a body believed to be that of the missing person,” the CRS confirmed. “The management and volunteers of the CRS extend our prayers and sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased.”

Efforts remain ongoing in the North Belfast area, where CRS teams continue to follow structured search plans.

The CRS has thanked its volunteers and partner agencies for their tireless efforts during a difficult and demanding week, reinforcing the vital role of inter-agency cooperation in high-risk search and rescue operations across Northern Ireland.