A man matching the description of missing Inverness musician Liam Colgan was reportedly seen at a train station with a sign saying “Help get me home”.
The latest revelation in the hunt for the 29-year-old in Germany has given his family a further boost, some 41 days after he vanished in Hamburg.
Liam disappeared during his brother Eamonn’s stag party in the early hours of February 10.
His family firmly believe he is still alive and may have suffered concussion and memory loss, possibly after a fall after drinking during the night out.
The latest reported sighting was on Wednesday, in a small town of Poppenbuppel – around 10 miles north of Hamburg with a population of around 23,000.
This comes on the back on reports of a man who looked very similar to Liam spotted in Harsefeld, a town 30 miles to the west of Hamburg, last week.
Liam’s brother Eamonn, 32, who put his own wedding on hold until they discover what has happened to his Liam, said: “This is the last stop on the train line to the airport.
“Someone has reported seeing a person they believe matches Liam’s description at the station.
“They apparently had a sign with him saying ‘Help get me home’ in English.
“To get something like this is very promising. We are still waiting to hear back from the police on more details about this sighting, but it is heartening. Hopefully there will be CCTV.”
He added: “It is good to think that the message about Liam missing in Germany is going out to the public. It still gives us hope he is alive, possibly in a confused state.”
“We believe in the possibility that Liam will no longer be in Hamburg and somewhere in the Federal Republic.”
Mr Colgan was in Hamburg last week with his mother to talk to the media and keep the search “relevant” and alive in the minds of the public.
He added: “We must thank the incredible continued support of volunteers in Hamburg. There were several searches last week as well as flyer distribution at local concerts. We sincerely hope we can continue to rely on this support.”
There was a recent fundraising weekend in the Highland capital which raised “significant” funds to go toward the ongoing search in Germany.
Mr Colgan said the family were “humbled by the kindness, generosity and community spirit being shown” in their home town.
Liam was last seen by his friends in the Veermaster Bar in the early hours of February 10. He has been identified on CCTV footage walking towards the Michelwiese Park.
A witness reported offering him assistance before he headed off towards the city’s Portuguese Quarter at around 2.30am.