Bishop praises search teams

Dr Patrick Walsh paid tribute to the search teams

A Catholic bishop has paid tribute to the teams of people searching the County Down coastline for the body of missing schoolboy Jordan Murdoch.

The 14-year-old was swept off a pier into the sea at Killough harbour exactly two weeks ago.

Since then hundreds of volunteers have been combing the shoreline for any trace of the teenager.

The Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Patrick Walsh, met the Murdoch family on Sunday.

He said the whole community had bonded together and were united in concern for a suffering family.

"It's dispiriting in one sense, the body hasn't been found, but on the other hand there's been a great raising of their spirits when they saw how everybody has co-operated with them and the search has been going on," said Dr Walsh.

Jordan was swept into the sea earlier this month

"People have shown extraordinary bravery, that's the spirit that has come to them and that's the spirit that will carry them through.

"But please God, the body will be found and there will be opportunity for Christian burial."

During Mass at St Joseph's Church in the town, Dr Walsh paid tribute to the Coastguard, lifeboat services and those who had volunteered to help.

The search for the schoolboy intensified this weekend amid hopes that fresh areas of coastline would be exposed by very high and low tides caused by a full moon.

Teams of divers and walkers have been involved in the efforts and spotter planes scoured the area on Saturday.

In the past week, the search has been concentrated on the seabed in the harbour.

Divers have been searching sectioned-off areas but they have so far failed to find anything.

The Coastguard said last weekend's search was the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Jordan fell into the water on 11 January. Another boy, 12-year-old David Hackett, was pulled from the water by his family.