THE BODY OF an Irish man missing in Denmark since 5 December has been found, Danish police have confirmed.

Peter Burns (29), from Dunboyne in Co Meath, was working as a chef in Aarhus and went missing after a night out in the area with colleagues over 40 days ago.

He had been living in Denmark for several months in an apartment with his twin sister.

In a statement this afternoon, Danish police said the body of the 29-year-old was discovered in the harbour after a local resident alerted police.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place in the coming days.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said that consular assistance is being provided to Peter’s family and friends.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Peter Burns,” the department spokesperson said. 

A previous search for Peter was stood down on Tuesday last after no evidence was found. The Irish Embassy in Denmark encouraged anyone who could to take part in an effort to find Peter.

The Navy’s diving service, the Aarhus University’s research ship Aurora and several police water search dogs took part in the search operation.