Police in Germany are searching rivers and canals in a bid to find a missing Inverness postman who vanished during his brother’s stag trip.
Liam Colgan, 29, from the Holm Mills area, has not been seen since the early hours of Saturday morning when he was out with a party of 18 celebrating his brother Eamonn’s stag do in Hamburg.
Police officers have scoured hospitals and taxi offices in the city and are now concentrating much of their efforts in the harbour area.
Hamburg Police spokesman Ulf Wundrack said: “We have taken all imaginable detection and investigation measures, including [informing] hospitals and taxi offices.
“Of course it is not normal for people to disappear in Hamburg. He does not know his way about and had been drinking, which makes this a difficult situation.
“We have teams searching canals and rivers.”
Family friend Alan Pearson, who was on the trip which was organised by Mr Colgan, said: “We are getting more and more concerned for Liam as time goes on.
“The police investigation has now stepped up but, despite various sightings being reported, there is unfortunately no news of Liam’s whereabouts.”
The keen musician is his brother’s best man and had planned the trip to Germany prior to the wedding in Inverness next month.
He was last seen at about 1.30am on Saturday in the Reeperbahn area of the city, in the Hamborger Veermaster bar.
The stag party of 18, including his father Brian, had been to a few bars and a brewery on the Friday evening, all arranged by Mr Colgan.
Mr Pearson said: “It was towards the end of the night that Liam became separated from the group, but nobody realised at the time, given the nature of the event. It was hard to keep tabs on everyone.
“Having retraced our steps and spoken to bar staff in the last bar he was seen in, we understand that he left a few minutes before the rest of the group.”
Mr Colgan’s disappearance is said to be “completely out of character”.
Posters of Liam have been put up around Hamburg, while national German newspapers were now following the story.
A post on a specially set-up “Help find Liam Colgan” Facebook page said: “Eamonn is due to marry his fiancé Susan in three weeks time back in Scotland so we are launching an urgent appeal to find Liam.”
At the time of the last sighting the Mr Colgan was wearing a brown leather jacket and a grey hoodie. He is 6ft tall with red hair.