IT was the devastating news they prayed they would not hear.

The heartbroken family a Hampshire man missing on a stag do in Prague are today (Tuesday) coming to terms with their worst fears after his body was found in a river.

Karl Law was pulled from the water three weeks after going missing on a weekend break there - sparking a huge search by friends and family.

Relatives received the heartbreaking news yesterday lunch time and were too upset to speak about their loss.

Friends and family initially believed the body was not that of Mr Law, and took to social media sites to stress that the search was still on.

But tests yesterday confirmed their worst fears it was confirmed that Mr Law had been found.

A post mortem was being carried out by the Czech authorities as the Echo went to press.

As previously reported, Mr Law vanished on November 15 after he became separated from his brother and friends while on a trip to the Czech capital to celebrate a friend's forthcoming wedding.

The 35-year-old builder from Fareham, was last seen at 11.30pm that day near the Maxim bar in the city's Old Town.

His family and friends have taken turns travelling to Prague, putting up thousands of posters bearing his picture, but on Sunday the search came to an end with the grim discovery in the city's Vltava River, about half a mile from where he was last seen.

Yesterday his fiancée Amanda Collins told the Daily Echo how the devastating news had only just been confirmed and shared with heartbroken family members and friends.

Messages of condolence were left on a Facebook page set up to help in the search for Mr Law.

They included Scott Oakley who said: ''So sad to hear this. My thoughts are with his family. You've gone through more things in the space of a few weeks than most people go through in a lifetime.''

Kerry Snuggs added: ''So sad to see this, my prayers are with all of you at this awful sad time. There's no such thing as closure in a time of sorrow like this as you will never forget, but I hope in time that your pain will ease and you will find some comfort in knowing Karl was clearly loved by so many people.''

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: ''We can confirm the death of a British national who was reported missing in Prague and we are in touch with the local authorities. We are in close contact with the family and are providing consular assistance at this difficult time.''