Shipwreck diver reported missing

A DIVER exploring a wreck of a ship on the west coast of Scotland has been reported missing.

The man, who has not been identified, disappeared yesterday morning after he became separated from his group.

The divers were exploring the wreck of Breda, a Dutch steamer, in Ardmucknish Bay near Oban.

A Royal Navy rescue helicopter from HMS Gannet, a lifeboat, coastguards and two dive vessels began the search for the man yesterday.

The Breda sank in 1942 after an attack from a German plane and has remained in the bay since.

The ship is visited by divers all year round and is popular for beginners.

Watch manager Graeme Watters said: “Coastguard rescue officers from Oban carried out a second shoreline search at high water to check again whether this diver made it ashore and but sadly nothing was found.

“A search in the vicinity of the wreck was also carried out by navy divers but nothing was found.”

The search will continue later today.