THE BODY OF a 26-year-old Irish tourist has been found in Switzerland after he was reported missing over the weekend.

Justin Flannery, from Co Sligo, was last seen on 12 May in Lauterbrunnen, a village in the Swiss Alps around 66 kilometres south of Bern.

Local police said his body was found on Monday evening in the Lütschine river following an extensive search.

The regional public prosecutor will now investigate the cause of his death.

Writing on a GoFundMe page set up for the search operation, Justin’s brother Johnathan said it was believed Justin had been swept away in the river.

“Police search team of 10 persons have searched and completed the river by foot, water and drone. They have advised to be very careful as the water has a strong current and is extremely cold,” Johnathan wrote.

“The helicopter is not an option as it would not be appropriate due to the location trees etc. The only option we have is to hire local kayak and/or rafting teams to get onto the water ourselves. Or to pay the kayak people to go out by themselves.”

The GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a scanning device to search the lake has raised over €60,000.

In a statement to The Journal yesterday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is “aware of the case and is providing consular assistance”.

“As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of any specific case.”