Search for missing Irishman in Turkey continues

Efforts are continuing today to locate an Irishman who went missing while on holiday in Turkey last week.

Mark O'Neill (35), from Swords, County Dublin went missing in the resort area of Bodrum at around 4.00 am on Friday.

Mr O'Neill, who was on holiday with his brother Brian and sister-in-law Denise, is described as being 193cm (6ft 4in), with dark short hair and a sallow complexion. When last seen he was wearing a yellow t-shirt, black jeans and black runners.

Mr O'Neill is reported to have some medical problems and may be disorientated. He was last seen at Villa Manderines in the Omurca area of Bodrum.

Speaking on RTE's Drivetimeprogramme from Bodrum today, Mr O'Neill's brother Paul said the family were very concerned over the welfare of Mark.

“Earlier in the week they had all gone out to a restaurant and Mark wasn’t feeling well and he’d had a turn which had left him confused so it had been decided to keep him in the apartment for a while to let it pass. It did but then it got worse again until Friday when he just got up and left the apartment without saying anything to anyone.

“We got one sighting of him prior to his disappearance on Friday night where he was seen along the harbour near to where he was staying. He was described as being in a confused state and wasn’t making any sense. We haven’t had any sightings since,” he said.

Turkish police are assisting Mr O'Neill's brother and his father Dermot who have travelled out to the country to look for him. Mark's brother-in-law and two nephews flew out to Turkey yesterday to assist in the search.

“We’re very concerned because we feel that someone should have seen something in the last few days. He has his medical condition and with the heat over here at the moment, maybe he’s collapsed. But we’ve checked all the medical centres and hospitals and there are no reports of him being admitted,” added Mr O’Neill.

“We don’t know what his state of mind is at the moment or where he is."

The missing man's family has appealed to holidaymakers who are travelling to or from Bodrum to get in touch with gardaí or local police if they have any information on his whereabouts.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is giving consular assistance to Mr O’Neill’s family.