Police searching for a Durham University student who went missing after a night out have now widened their efforts to the banks of the River Wear as concern for the teenager grows.
Law student Euan Coulthard was last seen on Wednesday night and his disappearance has prompted more than 100 students to help police and mountain rescue teams in their search.
Euan has been missing since Wednesday
The 19-year-old had been out for an Italian meal for a friend's 21st birthday, which continued at Durham's Love Shack nightclub. Coulthard left on his own just after midnight, and has not responded to any efforts to contact him since. CCTV footage from Wednesday night shows the student crossing the pedestrian Framwellgate Bridge alone. Police have since confirmed Coulthard's mobile phone lost power several minutes after he was seen on CCTV.
He is 5ft 9in, of average build with light brown hair, and was wearing black skinny jeans, a denim jacket and a beige patterned shirt.
A Help find Euan Coulthard Facebook page has been set up and has been liked by almost 6,000 people while Twitter users are also appealing through the #findeuan hashtag.
Coulthard is the third Durham student to go missing in fourteen months, after the bodies of Engineering student Luke Pearce and Economics student Sope Peters were both discovered in the river.
Now, more than 10,000 people have signed a petition calling for increased safety measures to be put in place around the River Wear.
The petition suggests that the introduction of measures like CCTV cameras, added lighting and railings "will help the Police in tragic situations and of course help prevent any future crime and may deter people that like to abuse drugs and alcohol by the river".
The petition has been widely shared across social media and several of Euan’s friends have shown their support for it.
Commenting on the petition, Emma Cooper wrote: "Euan is my friend, and I never want anyone else to have to go through what my friends and I are going through", while Esther Scriven added: "This uncertainty of what has happened to him is horrible and if more CCTV cameras would ensure the safety of even one more person, surely that is worth it."
Professor Simon Hackett, principal of St Mary's College, where Coulthard was studying, said: "We were first told on Thursday afternoon that students were concerned they had not seen Euan and we did not hesitate to contact the police.
"Euan is doing exceptionally well in his degree, he is a model student and is heavily involved in the social aspects at St Mary's.
"He is a keen footballer and has an interest in cricket. He is well-liked and this is completely out of character for him.
"Euan's disappearance has affected the entire community at the university and staff are here to provide support for any student that needs it.
"We would love anyone who has any information to contact the police as it is a very distressing time for all at St Mary's and the university."
Inspector Dave Coxon said: "We have serious concerns for Euan's welfare as there has been no trace of him since the early hours of Thursday morning. He hasn't responded to any attempts to contact him and his phone has not been traced.
"If anyone has seen him since then, or if they saw a young man matching his description in Durham on [Wednesday] night, I would ask them to contact us as soon as possible on 101."
The local rescue team confirmed that the search will continue on Monday.