Missing man in Prague: Appeal to find missing British tourist, Joop Sparkes, 29, after party boat jump

An urgent search has been launched to find a British tourist who vanished after he jumped from a party boat in Prague. The 29-year-old man was last seen reportedly jumping off a boat in the early hours of Sunday 27 April in Prague, Czech Republic. 

The man, who has been identified as Joop Sparkes, reportedly jumped off the boat at roughly 1am "to go for a swim" and has not been seen since. His girlfriend shared an appeal on social media urging anyone with information to come forward to aid the police in their search.

She wrote on a Prague tourism group on Facebook: "My boyfriend Joop went missing early hours of Sunday April 27. Around 12:30/1am. He was on board the boat that leaves from the President Hotel Prague.

"On way back to the port he alleged to have jumped off to go for a swim and not been seen since. Police are aware. If anyone has any information or has seen him please call 158 get in touch.”

She added: "Family really worried. He possibly had swam back to shore and no-one has seen him so he could be anywhere.”

The family has set up a GoFund me page to help them “stay in Prague as long as we can to investigate and work with local authorities to find out what happened to him.” On the page it reads: “During an organized party boat trip with friends, Joop allegedly went overboard into the Vltava River. Despite initial sightings by a fellow passenger, there has been no trace of him since.

“Joop entered the water between 1-2am near the Charles Bridge Area, wearing a black T-shirt.His sister (Jodie), girlfriend (Charley) and other family members have flown out to Prague to try and find him/get answers to his disappearance.”

The family added that they are “receiving no financial support from the British Embassy and are funding their search efforts themselves.” They describe Joop as “a cherished son, brother, boyfriend, and uncle” who “works in the construction industry and enjoys outdoor adventures, staying fit, and spending time with loved ones.” They add that he “is a funny, caring and adventurous young man who spends much of his time in nature from climbing mountains, to camping in the wilderness.”

A spokesperson for the Czech Republic police told Express.co.uk: "I can confirm that since early Sunday morning the Prague police have been searching for a 29-year-old foreigner who, according to the announcement, jumped from a party boat near the Charles Bridge in Prague 1 and has not been seen since. In the place where the missing person was last seen, several search operations took place, in which policemen from the river department were also involved, but the foreigner has not been found anywhere yet."