DUTCH POLICE HAVE confirmed that a body has been spotted during a search for the missing Irish man Paul Nolan Miralles.

The body has not been recovered but Anne Ravonone, Paul’s sister, told TheJournal.ie that the family believe that it is Paul and they are now waiting for police divers to come and recover his body.

She said his body was spotted near the Hard Rock Café, where Paul has worked for a number of years and was a popular member of staff.

The family will release a full statement in the coming days.

Tributes have been pouring in to a Facebook page set up during the search for Paul.

A spokesperson from the Amsterdam police press office told TheJournal.ie that “a little boat on a canal hit a body” but as there was other traffic on the canal at the time, the body went underwater again.

“Now we are searching that place to see if we can find the body,” the spokesperson said.

The search has been ongoing since 14 April for Paul Nolan Miralles, 36, who is half-Spanish and has been living in Amsterdam for the past 10 years.

He is a well known employee at the Hard Rock Café and went missing after a night out with friends.

Police divers and sonar were used in the search for Nolan Miralles, who it is believed may have fallen into a canal in the Dutch capital after his night out.