1.
GV Loch Ness (2 shots)
0.05

2.
LV & SV Fishing boat Maureen anchored in Urquhart Bay
0.13

3.
SV British and Japanese flags flying
0.16

4.
SV Crew members tilt to SV & CU bubbling water
0.30

5.
SV Japanese researcher looks overboard
0.32

6.
SV & CU Crew members watch as diver dives (4 shots)
0.58

7.
SV Diver climbs aboard
1.07



Initials AE/22.20 AE/22.30


C/M MISSING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The search for the Loch Ness monster by a Japanese team is on. A detailed and expensive operation to track down "Nessie" got under way on Tuesday (25 September), when to divers jumped into the Loch. They didn't stay too long - the water was freezing.

The Japanese monster hunters didn't count on the temperature of the water, and will spend the next few days testing their equipment to see now it will stand up to the cold.

The nine-man team hopes to use a miniature submarine in their search for the elusive monster. They were to have transported a submarine from Japan, but discovered it would not be suitable for the cold conditions. A member of the team said they may use another submarine from France or from England, but would have to wait several weeks before they could use it. Divers will also be searching the murky depths of the Loch with special cameras and searchlights.

Previous sightings of the creature have been fleeting, and few photographs have been taken. The Japanese team accepts the theory that it is a rare underwater creature, trapped long ago when the Loch was cut off from the sea.