The father of a missing Briton feared to have drowned when Storm Gloria battered Ibiza has accepted the crushing probability his son ‘isn’t coming home’.
After 25-year-old Ben Garland’s jacket was found drifting in the sea, Mark Garland last night said: ‘I think we now have to accept the worst possible news that our Ben isn’t coming home.’
The yachtsman from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, who crews on a yacht on the Spanish island, vanished on Tuesday after going on a motorbike ride in the torrid weather.
Mark’s emotionally raw statement came after Spanish coastguards found Ben’s ID in the coat floating 1,000ft off the coast of Punta des Gat – near to the beach where the Briton is believed to have disappeared.
He continued: ‘Everyone that knew Ben knew what a kind caring lad he was and he always entered a room with a smile on his face.
‘The authorities over here have been amazing and have never given up the hope of finding Ben alive.
‘My family would ask that you allow us some time now to try and come to terms with this horrendous news.’
The grieving father also paid tribute to Ben, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, on Facebook via a touching video of the two of them together on a road trip.
Ben Garland, 25, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, has been missing since Tuesday and is feared to have drowned in Storm Gloria
Mark Garland (second from left) on the cliff tops of Ibiza with Spanish search and rescue yesterday
Family and friends of Ben continue to search for him but have confronted the crushing probability of his death
The heartbreaking clip shows the son singing along to Poison’s Every Rose Has It’s Thorn including the lyrics: ‘Just like every night has its dawn. Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song.’
Mark accompanied the video with the words: ‘Full of life. A typical road trip with Ben. This young man brightened up everyone’s life. Going to miss you Benji.’
The bus driver, who has flown to Ibiza to join in the search, admitted he had not slept in 38 hours.
Earlier on Facebook he explained the magnitude of the search: ‘There has not been any sightings of him as of yet. We have had to come down from the cliff tops as the dogs are now searching a large area.
‘There are lots of police, fire and rescue plus volunteers out looking and the lifeboat is scouring the coastline.’
Ben Garland, 25, has been missing since Tuesday when he went on a motorcycle ride around the island. The bike was found abandoned but there was no sign of Mr Garland
In a direct message to well-wishers who have donated thousands of pounds to a JustGiving campaign to raise funds to help find Mr Garland, he added: ‘Can we as a family thank every single one of you for your messages of support and prayers being sent.
‘Also thank you to everyone who has donated to the JustGiving campaign.’
Ben is one of three people who are still missing in the Balearic Islands following the start of Storm Gloria, which began battering many parts of Spain on Sunday.
A 34-year-old man named as David Cabrera, 34, disappeared on Monday in Majorca. Mr Garland is one of two people believed to have been swept into the sea in separate incidents in Ibiza.
The search for the Briton has focused on the area near Cala Portinax, a beach in the north of the island where his motorbike was found and he is thought to have taken pictures he posted on social media by the sea on Tuesday afternoon.
Rescue workers are searching the coastline in Ibiza for a missing British man who is feared to have been swept into the sea during heavy storms
The captain of the Ibiza-based yacht Ben is a crew member of raised the alarm just before midnight on Tuesday after he failed to return and his phone went unanswered.
Ten people have so far died in incidents linked to Storm Gloria, including three from hypothermia.
Worried friends of Ben appealed on social media for anyone who may have seen him.
His uncle Kirk Garland wrote on Facebook: ‘My nephew Ben Garland has been missing for over 18 hours. Please everybody pray for him to be found safe and well.’
He later added: ‘Please God let Ben Garland be found safe and well.’
Ben, who had been working as a crew member on a boat, vanished in the Portinatx area of the municipality of Sant Joan de Labritja.
The northern part of Ibiza has been lashed by Storm Gloria, which has caused an intense swell that has led to the cancellation of all maritime connections from the island.
Rescue workers believe the missing Brit could have fallen into the sea.
He was one of the crew of a boat which docked in the port of Ibiza. The captain reported him missing after went on a tour of the island on a motorcycle on his day off but didn’t return.
The bike has been found in Cala Portinatx.
Storm Gloria is expected to bring heavy rains to Catalonia, increasing the risk rivers in areas like Girona could overflow (pictured: a woman enters her home in Tossa de Mar as foam fills the streets)
The search is being carried out both by land, with agents of the Civil Guard, Civil Protection and Local Police, and by sea, with a Civil Guard vessel.
Another man is also missing in the Balearic Islands as a result of the freak weather conditions.
On Monday, a young man disappeared whilst practiced canyoning in the torrent of Na Mora, in an area of the Serra de Tramuntana between Sóller and Escorca.
Mallorca has been smashed by huge waves and another town filled with foam as a storm continues to lash Spain, leaving four dead and 200,000 without power.
Videos showed waves crashing over the seafront walls and sending water cascading down the street towards buildings in Cala Ratjada on Mallorca.
While in the Costa Brava holiday resort of Tossa de Mar, locals woke up to the surreal sight of sea foam which had invaded part of the old town. One woman was filmed trying to get into her house in the resort up to her waist in the foam.
Storm Gloria is expected to bring heavy rains to Catalonia, increasing the risk rivers in areas like Girona could overflow. The Interior Minister has described the storm as ‘exceptional.’