A body found on the rocks near Cod’s Head off west Cork has been confirmed as that of missing Polish teenager Matteus Latek.
The 13-year-old went missing along with his 40-year-old father Piotr on July 12th, while on a fishing trip. His father's body was found about 100 metres from the shore last Wednesday.
A search for by Navy divers off the Beara Peninsula for the boy was wound down yesterday after several searches failed to locate him.
His body was discovered shortly before 10am by members of the Derrynane Inshore Rescue Service.
Supt Liam Horgan of Bantry Garda station confirmed the body had been positively identified at the morgue at Cork University Hospital this afternoon as that of Matteus Latek.
"It’s very sad - a terrible tragedy for the family - but at least now both bodies have been found so that may provide some relief. It would be awful not to have recovered the young lad’s body but thankfully, the search proved successful in the end,” he said.
Supt Horgan paid tribute to all those involved in the search operation which was co-ordinated by the Irish Coastguard Valentia Marine Rescue Centre and which included Derrynane Inshore Rescue, Castletownbere Inshore Rescue and Goleen Cliff and Coast Rescue.
“We got great support from all the coastguard units as well as the Naval Service and the various boats — if it wasn’t them we would never have recovered any bodies and the Polish community in Kenmare also turned out and showed great solidarity to help with the search.”
Mr Latek’s widow, Joanna and his father, Stanislaw were today comforted by friends from the Polish community in Kenmare as news came through that searchers had recovered the body of Matteus.
Mr Latek had worked as a baker at the Breadcrumb Bakery in Kenmare where his employer, Manuela Goeb set up a special fund to raise monies to cover the cost of bringing their bodies back to Poland for burial.
Ms Goeb said over €12,200 has so far been raised through donations from all over the country.
She said funeral arrangements still had to be finalised but that anyone who wished to make a donation towards the costs could still do so to the 'Piotr and Matteus Fund' at Bank of Ireland, Kenmare. The sort code is 90 57 31 and the account number is 28414889.
