Family members of one of the Irish men missing in Thailand following the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean have said they believe his body may have been found, although they have not yet received confirmation.
It has been reported this evening that an uncle of Conor Keightley from Co Tyrone said he believes the 31-year-old's body has been found.
Mr Aidan Coyle told RTÉ the family was anxiously awaiting confirmation from the Thai authorities.
The Department of Foreign Affairs could not confirm reports that a garda team in Thailand is close to identifying another Irish victim of the disaster.
"We are not in a position to confirm any further Irish deaths at this stage," a spokesman said.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahern, met Mr Keightley's family in Krabi, Thailand this morning.
"We met local Thai Government officials who have assured us that every effort in finding the missing Irish will continue," Mr Ahern said.
He said he believed everything is being done in Thailand to discover what has happened to the three Irish people who were caught up in the tsunami disaster and he thanked the Thai authorities for their assistance in "whittling down" the list of missing Irish.
Mr Ahern said he had agreed with the leaders of the four Irish NGOs (the Irish Red Cross, Trócaire, Concern and Goal) accompanying him on the trip to try and leave a "long term footprint" in Phuket.
He said they were discussing the idea of an honorary consular position in the country. "We would like to put in place a project here that would look after some of the victims of this awful disaster," he added.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed today there are still three Irish people who are still considered to be at "high risk" following the December 26th earthquake and tsunami.
While the department has not formally released their names, they are Mr Keightley, Ms Lucy Coyle from Killiney and Mr Michael Murphy from Co Wexford.
The spokeswoman said there are also "three to four" Irish citizens considered to be at medium risk.
One of the missing, Ms Lucy Coyle (29), from Killiney, Co Dublin, was staying at a beach hut in a resort on Phi Phi island when the tsunami hit.
She arrived in Thailand the week before Christmas with her Welsh-born boyfriend, Mr Sean Sweetman. The couple live in Bath in England.
Mr Michael Murphy (23), from Co Wexford, was on Khao Lak, the area of Thailand worst affected by the freak waves. He last spoke to his family on Christmas Day.
Mr Keightley's 31st birthday fell on New Year's Eve. His family says he returned from a boat trip near Phi-Phi on Christmas Day.