A fresh dig is under way on bogland in Co Monaghan for the remains of a teenager secretly buried by the IRA 50 years ago.
Columba McVeigh, who was 19 and from Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, was abducted on October 31st, 1975.
He is one of 17 people known as the Disappeared.
Six searches for Mr McVeigh have been carried out by The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) at Bragan Bog near Emyvale since 1999.
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Expert teams have covered more than 26 acres in their attempt to find his body.
The commission confirmed on Wednesday the latest dig was on a small section of ground and was a continuation of its last search two years ago.
[ The Disappeared: Columba McVeigh’s sister will ‘never give up hope’Opens in new window ]
It is not believed to be linked to any new information.
Lead investigator Eamonn Henry explained that the search was originally planned for spring this year but did not go ahead due to “environmental issues”, which his team worked closely with National Parks and Wildlife Service to resolve.
It is expected to last five weeks.
“ICLVR was unable to proceed until August 18th,” Mr Henry said.
“A review of the entire area previously searched revealed a section that had not been searched, hence the current search was scheduled.
“The McVeigh family has been informed and are fully supportive.”
To date, 13 of the 17 Disappeared victims have been found since the commission was set up by the Irish and UK governments in 1999 as part of the peace process.
Mr McVeigh, former Cistercian monk Joe Lynskey, British army captain Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire from Co Armagh, remain missing.
[ Columba McVeigh: A lost life brought into sharper focusOpens in new window ]
Mr McVeigh’s brother, Oliver McVeigh, said he was “optimistically hopeful” about the latest dig and appealed for those with information to come forward.
“I’ve been on this road six times before, so we have to have caution as well,” he said.
“Every time they’re digging and searching for him in that particular area is an opportunity to find him.
“It’s finding the right place and people that are involved. People who know [they] are still free to come forward and give whatever tuppence worth they need to give to possibly locate him.”
He added: “I don’t have any doubt that they [the ICLVR] want to find him but there’s some people there that aren’t coming forward that could come forward.
“It’s not easy work in the bog, there’s a lot of work to do before they actually start physically digging because it can be damp and they have to move stuff about.
“It is coming up to 50 years, but they have found so many people before, so it shows it can be done.” – Additional reporting: PA
