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Body of British man who went missing on Hamburg stag weekend found in River Elbe

Liam Colgan: PA
Liam Colgan: PA

The body of an Inverness postman who went missing while on his brother’s stag weekend in Hamburg has been found in the city’s River Elbe.

Liam Colgan, 29, disappeared in the early hours of February 10 while on a night out in the German city.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity which supports families of people missing abroad, said the body was discovered at 6.30am on Monday morning.

A statement said: “Whilst formal identification is yet to be carried out, Mr Colgan's driving licence was in the pocket of the jacket and the clothes were those he was wearing the night he disappeared.

"The Trust asks that Mr Colgan's family be given space and privacy to grieve at this difficult time."

His brother Eamonn, a police officer based in Dundee, had previously told BBC Radio Scotland: “Liam is very laid back, very positive, a very proud and doting uncle to my two children.”

He added: “We miss him greatly, all his family and friends do… we come across constant reminders like toys he's given to our children and his car is still here from when we went off on the stag do."

The disappearance occurred after Mr Colgan, keen musician, left the Veermaster pub in the city’s famous Beatles Platz. It sparked a major search effort.

Volunteers based in Hamburg organised for 300,000 leaflets to be posted to residents while an online crowd-funding page, set up to help cover the cost of the family flying to and from Hamburg, raised more than £15,000.

Eamonn and his fiancee Susan Dolan, both 33, have postponed their wedding.

Matthew Searle, chief executive with the Lucie Blackman Trust, said: “An astonishing amount of support has been apparent in this case – the search for Liam has been joined by thousands of people, both German and British, and we would like to thank all of them for their support.

“Our thoughts are of course with Liam’s family and friends today.”

A statement from police in Hamburg said: “After a witness had informed the police this morning, several radio patrol cars went to a harbour in the HafenCity [district]. The fire brigade eventually salvaged a body floating in the water.”