Members of the Defence Forces have joined the search for a missing farmer in Co Kerry.
Michael Gaine has been missing since he was last seen in a shop in Kenmare on 20 March.
Fifty members - from the 12th Infantry Battalion Limerick and the 3rd infantry Battalion Kilkenny - arrived at Mr Gaine's farmyard today.
They assisted gardaí in a thorough search of the farmyard and surrounding fields.
The search is expected to be expanded to rougher mountain terrain in the coming days.
Mr Gaine’s farm comprises over 1,000 acres of land, much of which is rough and remote mountain and bogland.
Overgrown waterways running through the land are also being searched.
A Garda spokesperson said the addition of members of the Defence Forces will benefit the search.
"These lands are rough, open ground and at higher altitude and the experience and discipline of trained personnel is appropriate to assist in these searches," they said.
Mr Gaine was last seen in Kenmare on the morning of 20 March, where he purchased phone credit in the local Centra shop.
His bronze-coloured Toyota RAV4 with the registration 152 KY 366 was found in his farmyard the following day. There were a number of personal items in the car.
A massive search has been ongoing for the past ten days.
The multi-agency effort has included An Garda Síochána, Civil Defence, the Coast Guard, Kerry Mountain Rescue and up to 250 local volunteers.
The Garda helicopter and drones have been involved in aerial surveys, while the Garda Water Unit has tasked divers to search a number of nearby lakes and a disused quarry.
Trained sniffer dogs have also assisted in the search.
A number of slurry tanks on Mr Gaine’s farm were emptied and excavation was carried out by diggers in the farmyard.
The investigation is still being treated as a missing person case and gardaí say they have yet to make a significant breakthrough.
Gardaí have issued another appeal for information. In particular they want to speak with anyone who travelled on the N71 between Kenmare and Killarney on 20 March after 9.48am.
They are also seeking any dash-cam footage or CCTV footage taken in the Moll’s Gap area from Thursday 20 and Friday 21 March.
Gardaí have thanked members of the public for their assistance in previous stages of the search but further search assistance from the general public is not being sought at the moment.
Gardaí say anyone with any information should contact Killarney Garda Station on 064-6671160, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
