Family's relief at tug body find

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The family of a tug engineer who died when the boat capsized in the River Clyde have described their relief that his body has been recovered.

Robert Cameron, 65, from Houston, Renfrewshire, served on the Flying Phantom, which sank in heavy fog on Wednesday evening.

His body was found in the submerged tug by police divers on Friday.

Boat skipper Stephen Humphreys, 33, from Greenock, and Eric Blackley, 57, from Gourock, are both presumed dead.

A fourth man, Brian Aitchison, 37, from Coldingham in the Scottish Borders, was rescued from the water by a passing boat on Wednesday.

Bob was a much loved husband, dad and papa, and his loss, particularly at this time of year is deeply felt Family of Robert Cameron

In a statement issued through Strathclyde Police, Mr Cameron's wife Linda and daughters Lorna and Helen thanked friends and relatives for their "much valued love and support at this tragic time."

The statement read: "We would also like to offer our sincere sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of Eric Blackley and Stephen Humphreys who were also lost in this tragedy.

"Bob was a much loved husband, dad and papa, and his loss, particularly at this time of year is deeply felt.

"We love and miss him and take comfort that he has now been returned to us. Despite this terrible event and loss of three lives, we are grateful that Brian Aitchison was rescued and survived."

The family also offered its "heartfelt thanks" to the police, coastguard and other agencies involved in the operation.

The tug sank while towing a cargo vessel to Glasgow.

Poor visibility

Strathclyde Police said Mr Cameron's body was recovered from the submerged tug by divers at about 1620 GMT on Friday.

The search for the bodies of the two men who are still missing resumed on Saturday morning. It concluded for the day at about 1700 GMT.

At its height, the search involved 60 people and a dozen boats, with teams from the RNLI, Coastguard, Royal Navy and Strathclyde Police scouring the water and coastline.

But their efforts were hampered by poor visibility, and on Thursday rescuers said there was no chance of finding anyone alive.

Earlier, the family of Mr Blackley paid tribute to a "much loved husband and father".

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has begun an inquiry into the incident.