A BODY has been found in the search for a man missing in Orkney.
The man – a commercial scallop diver based in the islands – was reported missing while working in the Scapa Flow area just after 2.30pm on Wednesday, November 27.
Specialist Marine Police Units, and helicopters were drafted in to help in the frantic search of the area as part of a major land sea and air operation.
The body was recovered from Churchill Causeway in Orkney on Friday morning – nine days after he vanished.
He has not been formally identified or named, but the family of the missing man have been informed.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 17:30 on Wednesday 27 November, 2024, we were made aware of a diver missing in Scapa Flow.
“Around 11:00 on Friday 6 December, 2024, the body of a man was found in Churchill Causeway, Orkney.
“Formal identification is yet to take place but the family of the diver have been informed.”There do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
HM Coastguard teams worked alongside police specialist rescue teams as well as Orkney Islands Council tugs to find the missing diver.
The search teams from Kirkwall, Hoy and St Margaret’s combed the area, alongside lifeboats from Longhope and Thurso after he vanished last month.
But after nine days crews revealed they had found a body in the Churchill Barriers, 2.4km of causeways which link four islands with the Orkney mainland.
The barriers were and were built in the 1940s as naval defences to protect the waters of Scapa Flow from German U-boats following the sinking of the British ship HMS Royal Oak.
Scapa Flow – a large body of water in Orkney – was the Royal Navy’s chief naval base during World War One and World War Two.
It was also famously where the Vikings anchored their boats more than 1,000 years ago, before sailing south to the Battle of Largs.
It comes after another huge air, land and sea search was launched last month for a teenager missing in the Outer Hebridies.