A man in his forties from Limerick City is missing after the boat he was in capsized on the Mississippi River on Saturday, May 1.

Derek Murphy, who is from the Garryowen area of the city, and the man he was traveling with were last seen on Saturday afternoon about 2.30 pm on their boat on the river.

They were also traveling with a dog.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries immediately organized a search and rescue operation.

It lasted three days. None of the men were found.

The dog and the boat were later discovered.

Officials believe that the two men got into grave difficulty when their small, light weight boat got stuck in the middle of a fleet of barges on Saturday and couldn't get free.

Murphy, who was been living in the US for over a decade, was working in the construction industry in New Orleans.

The Mississippi river is known to be extremely dangerous for small boats.

Both men were not wearing life jackets.

Murphy was a member of the Garryowen AIL League winning team in 1991.

A Limerick councillor Kieran O'Hanlon said that it was a terrible tragedy, "From a community point of view, my sympathies go to his family who have been very active with Richmond Rugby and Geraldines soccer club".