Flares seen off Westport coast a mystery

Photo / File

The origin of three flares seen off the coast of Westport last night remains a mystery after an extensive search failed to find any sign of a distressed vessel.

Three flares were seen north of the main harbour within 10 minutes just before 7pm.

Police, West Coast Search and Rescue and several boats in the area responded but nothing was found, said police southern communications shift supervisor Trevor Cross

"Coastline searches didn't locate anything. Crews are re-evaluating this morning about how to proceed," he said.