THE brother of the Strabane man found alive and well on board his ship after initially being feared drowned overboard, has spoken of his "huge relief" at his brother's discovery.
The disappearance of oil worker Christopher McGonigle (35) sparked a dramatic 48-hour search after he was believed to have fallen overboard from the DSNS Pelican 140 miles from land in the North Sea.
The seaman, who works for Subsea 7 as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operator on the 308ft boat, was eventually found on board the DSNS Pelican by a fellow crew member around 10pm on Sunday night, in what is considered a normally inaccessible space above a roof panel.
Once found, Mr McGonigle, one of seven children, was transferred from the boat by helicopter to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where he remains until he is considered well enough to be moved home.
Speaking from the McGonigle home at Woodend Road, Strabane, Patrick McGonigle told the Strabane Chronicle yesterday that last weekend was "like hell" for himself and the rest of the family.
He said, "We feared the worst, and we were prepared for it. When we received the phone call telling us that he had been found it was a massive relief; a surprise, but a huge relief. It was an unbelievable feeling. It was even tougher during the search because there was nothing that we could do only wait, so we felt helpless. It was a traumatic two days and we're glad it's over. We're very appreciative of the efforts of everyone involved and the help that they gave us throughout it all."
He concluded, "The family are going to be staying with him until he's well enough to leave hospital, or at least to be transferred over here. He had a fall on the boat, and we're still not totally sure what happened. But the important thing is that he's doing well, and he'll hopefully come through it well. He's in good spirits, and it's great that he's even alive."
Earlier this week, before heading over to Scotland to be with her son, Christopher's mother Clare had said, "I was preparing to go over there and put a rose in the water because I thought he was coming back to me in a box but when we heard the news it was pure jubilation. I had to be sedated to get me through it but now we are going over there to see him and bring him home. I couldn't believe it myself until I spoke to him on the phone last night," she added.
Aberdeen Coastguard watch manager, George Downie, said "We are absolutely amazed and delighted that this man has been found.
"A very thorough search of the vessel was made several times over by the crew and there was no sign of him."
Police and Subsea are both said to be probing the circumstances behind the weekend incident.
