Searches fail to find divers missing in Scapa Flow

A decision will be made today on whether to resume the search for two divers missing for more than half a day.

The alarm was raised with Shetland Coastguard around 4.50pm on Tuesday when two men failed to return to their boat from a dive in Scapa Flow, off the Orkney islands.

Two local ferries, the Stromness lifeboat and the Coastguard Rescue helicopter based at Sumburgh in Shetland searched the area until around 8.20pm but found no trace of the men.

The coastguard said a decision would be taken with police and diving teams this morning about whether to resume the search.

Scapa Flow was used as a Royal Navy base in both world wars and is now popular with divers because of the many relics from British and German naval history lying on the seabed.