#DeanLeanne - Jury members have returned a verdict of "misadventure" in the deaths of three brothers after their fishing boat sank off Co Waterford more two years ago.

At the inquest yesterday (Thursday 5 November) into the tragedy that befell the MFV Dean Leanne on 12 June 2013, it was heard that brothers Paul, Shane and Kenny Bolger from Passage West died by drowning in the wake of their lobster boat suddenly going under.

Speaking after the inquest, according to Irish Independent, the Bolger family's solicitor Emmet Halley described their loss as an "unspeakable tragedy".

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board's (MCIB) report on the incident found a series of poor safety practices on the Bolgers' vessel on top of a malfunctioning EPIRB radio of a model later recalled by its manufacturer.

The inquest in Tramore heard that search and rescue teams were not notified till the brothers' uncle, also a fisherman, set out to look for them late in the day after seeing them depart Dunmore East by chance that morning.

Their boat itself was only rated to carry two crew, said the MCIB's findings, while its fibreglassed hull was found to have "extensive rot and decay".

Only two of the brothers were found to be wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) when their bodies were recovered, and neither of these was well maintained, the report added.