SEARCH TEAMS RECOVER ITEMS FROM MISSING KILDA FISHING BOAT

Police Scotland said search teams recovered items belonging to the fishing boat Kilda off the north coast of the Isle of Lewis on Thursday, 22 October. The boat disappeared on 13 October with Norman “Tam” Murray, Murdo Morrison and Douglas Craigie aboard. Murray and Morrison remain missing, along with the vessel. Rescuers recovered Craigie’s body from the sea at about 02:45 on 14 October.

Officers from Police Scotland’s marine and dive unit worked with partner teams in an area of interest off Port of Ness. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch established an exclusion zone for divers and vessels between the Butt of Lewis and Port of Ness. Inspector Neil Taylor, the local area inspector for the Western Isles, described the search as a “complex operation”. He asked the public to give officers and specialists time and space to carry out their inquiries.

Police said the exclusion zone would end at 23:59 on Thursday. Taylor said: “Efforts are continuing to work with partners and we are doing everything we can to get answers.” He urged people not to search in areas that could put them at risk of harm. A GoFundMe appeal for the affected families had raised more than £148,000 against a £110,000 target. Police asked anyone with information or concerns to call 101 and quote reference 3575 of 13 October.