German police have ramped up their searches for missing Liam Colgan following more potential sightings from members of the public.
Several people have now come forward claiming they have interacted with the 29-year-old, who has been missing for more than a week in Hamburg.
The most recent of these was on Thursday near a supermarket in Buxtehude on the outskirts of the city, when a “confused” man matching his description told a passer-by he was from Scotland.
It is thought he ended up on a train to the town after becoming separated from his group on a stag do, which he had organised for his brother Eamonn in the red light district of Hamburg’s notorious Reeperbahn area last Friday night.
Buxtehude is the last stop for many trains taking the S3 route west of the city.
On Wednesday police dogs picked up the postman’s scent outside the train station there, but have not ruled out that he may have travelled elsewhere since.
Yesterday they returned to the area following the reported sighting, but were unable to pick up his trail.
‘Chink of light’ in desperate search for missing Liam Colgan
Eamonn and several of his relatives have put up hundreds of posters around the town, and wider Hamburg, urging anyone with information to contact him.
He said: “He doesn’t seem to be hanging around for a particularly long time.
“In one of the places he asked for water, was given it, then left the area.
“We don’t have all of the information yet, police are trying to follow all of this up with the witnesses.”
Liam’s family have also re-traced the steps from the night of the stag do, revisiting the bars they stopped at on their Reeperbahn pub crawl.
They now believe that the 29-year-old had left the final venue of the night, Hamborger Veermaster, just a minute or two before the remaining five members of the 18-strong stag party.
Staff at the bar have echoed suggestions that Liam had appeared confused, noticing that he had been trying to wear someone else’s jacket shortly before he left.
Efforts to find Liam will continue throughout the weekend, including with help from Hamburg FC which is going to distribute flyers during its Bundeliga fixture at home to Bayer this afternoon.
Eamonn added that all of the potential sightings are adding to his hopes that he will be reunited with his brother soon.
He said: “If we can just know that he is still alive, that would be a huge relief.”
