Sport

Search for missing GAA star suspended as fund to support family reaches thousands overnight

THE search for a missing GAA star in Canada has been suspended, police have said.

David Gavin, 26 and originally from Castlebar, Co. Mayo, is presumed to have drowned after an incident shortly after 3pm on Friday, June 30 in British Columbia.

Mr Gavin's family have since flown from Ireland to Canada, where the Irishman was living with his girlfriend.

Mr Gavin's Canadian GAA club also said that while the police search has been stood down, a private search of the area where he disappeared will continue.

Mr Gavin was on his way to play for the ISSC Vancouver GAA team in the Western Canadian Championship in Calgary when he stopped at Kinbasket Lake and dived into the water from a bridge.

After he failed to surface, officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and a dive team conducted a search with a local search and rescue team on but failed to locate the Mayo native.

The initial search involved two boats and a dog, with search and rescue members continuing to search the creek and Kinbasket Lake and shoreline into Saturday, July 1.

A RCMP spokeswoman said the underwater recovery team have been conducting a variety of underwater and surface scans along with air searches.

But police spokeswoman Annie Linteau have said that police presume he Mr Gavin has drowned.

While the police search has been stood down, 'periodic' air searches will take place in the coming months.

"We have requested that our Air Services unit conduct periodic flyovers of the area throughout the summer, in the hopes that he will be located soon," she said.

Meanwhile a fund to support the Gavin family has reached over $120,000 overnight.

The lake, marked by the red pin, where Mr Gavin went missing in Canada and the surround area. (Picture: Maps)

'Heartbroken'

Mr Gavin had played for his local GAA team Breaffy in Mayo, before moving to Canada with his girlfriend Ciara earlier this year and played with Irish Sporting and Social Club in Vancouver.

His GAA club said Mr Gavin was a "hugely popular figure within the Irish GAA community in Vancouver and within the GAA community at home with his club Breaffy and with his county Mayo."

"David's family have now arrived from Ireland to Kinbasket Lake, and are now waiting in hope that the divers will be able to recover him," they said in a statement.

"In order to help David's family, girlfriend Ciara, her family, friends and teammates at this time, we've set up this fund in order to raise as much funds as we can to support the search and associated expenses in locating David and getting him home."

David Gavin's native GAA club Breaffy GAA in Mayo said they were 'heartbroken.'

"Breaffy GAA are heartbroken to report that our good friend David Gavin is reported missing in Canada following a swimming incident.

"We stand with David's family, girlfriend and his many worried friends and pray that David will be found soon and back in the arms of those who love him so much."

Independent Councillor Frank Durcan from Mr Gavin's native Castlebar told The Irish Post earlier this week: "The family have been in Castlebar for four or five generations, his father comes from farming stock and both he and Mr Gavin's mother work for the county council as clerical officers.

"The family are held in very high esteem, and have been for generations. It's a heartbreaking blow to the parents and to his grandmother, it's a shocking tragedy."