Liam Colgan: Best man who went missing on stag do in Hamburg 'spotted hours after he disappeared'

This 'creates new lines of inquiry' in the search for the 29-year-old, his family say

A witness said he saw Liam 20 minutes away from the Veermaster Bar where he had been out with family and friends (Facebook)

A best man who went missing during his brother’s stag do in Hamburg more than a week ago was spotted just hours after he vanished, his family has revealed.

Liam Colgan, 29, from Inverness, was in the Veermaster Bar in the Reeperbahn area of the city when he was last seen by his brother Eamonn and their friends in the early hours of February 10.

The postman was later seen 20 minutes away by a man who helped him up the steps of the building of publisher G&J where he later fell, according to CCTV footage which the family viewed.

After he failed to get into the premises it shows him being helped by the same witness to get into nearby Michelwiese Park, before he was last seen heading towards the Portuguese Quarter at around 2.30am.

The first concrete sighting of Mr Colgan after he disappeared "creates new lines of inquiry" that are being looked into, his family said.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, which helps British nationals and their families in crises abroad, is helping out with the search.

Chief executive Matthew Searle said: "Although there have been quite a few sightings of Liam, this is the first one that's definitely him."

Meanwhile, the trust has appealed for information or CCTV images from people who were in the Baumwall area or the Portuguese Quarter of Hamburg at around 2.30am on February 10.

The trust said it is currently fielding a high volume of calls and sifting through photographs, CCTV and other material that it has received in the search for Mr Colgan.

Hamburg Police have been using search dogs and searching the Buxtehude area, next to Hamburg railway station where Liam was reportedly seen on Wednesday and Thursday.

The family said in a Facebook page set up to find Mr Colgan they are encouraged by a regular stream of reports about a "confused Scotsman" wandering the city of Hamburg.

The confirmed sighting follows the recovery of a man's body from the River Elbe which was not Mr Colgan.

His brother Eamonn said: "I'm obviously incredibly relieved that this was not Liam however pass on my condolences to the family involved in what must be a horrible time for them.

"My brother is still out there and we are still receiving sightings. We need to find Liam and bring him home to his family and friends."

Anyone with CCTV footage or photographs taken on February 10, or who remembers seeing a man acting confused or lost, is asked to email opslbtrust.org with information.