Divers joined the search for the missing men

Donall Gibson's body was found by divers searching near the wreck of the Greenhill which crashed onto rocks near Ardglass on Thursday.

Mr Gibson, 22, was from Downpatrick. His friend Conor Bogues, 26, from Ballynahinch, is still missing.

Alec Slater from the Fishermen's Mission said recovering a body was an "answer to prayers".

"In a sense it was a sweet and sour experience," he said.

"(There is) a sense of relief for all concerned and also a great hope that the other body will be found and recovered fairly quickly either today or, we hope, if the weather's good tomorrow and brought ashore."

Three men had been on board the Greenhill when it sank near Ardglass harbour on Thursday. The skipper of the vessel survived and was taken to hospital.

The following day, the wreckage of the missing vessel was located near the fishing port.

The official search and rescue operation ended on Friday, but local people carried on searching over the weekend.

On Sunday, volunteer divers had been searching the area around the sunken boat, whilst friends and fellow fishermen helped in the operation.

A piece of wreckage from the ship was washed up on the shore

A body was found at about 1500 GMT on Sunday by divers from a search and rescue team in Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland. Fishing crews from other Ardglass boats helped to bring him ashore.

The police later confirmed that it was the body of Mr Gibson.

The BBC's Andy Martin, who was with the search team when the body was found, said it was a "painful moment for his friends, but it also brought a sense of peace".

"The three men on the boat were good friends as well as workmates, and all in Ardglass are hoping that searches on Monday will bring home Conor Bogues," he said.

The police, coastguard and two life boats had been involved in a major land, air and sea operation since the men went missing.

Police and Army divers joined volunteers in the operation.

Fishing trawlers had also been dragging nets in the area where the boat went down, in the hope of recovering the men's bodies.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mr Gibson's family thanked everyone who took part in the search.