Plea to 'end agony' of family of Disappeared victim

Columba McVeigh was abducted and murdered by the IRA in 1975

The Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has been to the site of the search for the remains of Columba McVeigh, where he has met members of his family.

The 19 year old, from Donaghmore in County Tyrone, is one of 17 victims of the Troubles who are collectively known as the Disappeared.

Mr McVeigh, who was last seen 50 years ago, was abducted and murdered by the IRA in 1975 and his body secretly buried.

"It is desperate to think of what happened here 50 years ago," Benn said while visiting the County Monaghan site.

The Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, has met the family of missing murder victim Columba McVeigh

He appealed for anyone with information about the location of Mr McVeigh's remains to come forward, and also in the three other unresolved disappeared cases.

"End their agony... if you have got any information please pass it on."

'My brother is lying out there'

The sister of Columba McVeigh said she was "in awe" of the Northern Ireland secretary for meeting the family at Bragan Bog.

Dympna Kerr said it "means a lot" to the family that he took the time to come and see how big and remote the bog is for himself.

The dig is taking place in a different part of the bog but Dymphna said: "No matter what part of this bog I'm in, my heart breaks. All I can think of it, my brother is lying out there."

The family continue to hope for more information.

"There's somebody out there somewhere, maybe not intentionally, and they think it's irrelevant, every bit is relevant in the case of the disappeared," she told BBC News NI.

"I don't want to know who they are or wish them any harm. I just wish they'd pluck the courage up and put us out of our misery."

Dympna Kerr says she wishes someone would put the family "out of their misery"

The latest search for Mr McVeigh's remains has been ongoing at Bragan Bog in County Monaghan since August.

The dig is being conducted by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR).

It was set up as a result of the peace process and its mission is to find the remains of victims of paramilitary violence who were buried in secret during the Troubles.

The ICLVR has previously conducted six excavations of Bragan Bog since it was established in 1999.

Its teams have covered more than 26 acres in their search for Mr McVeigh.

Last month, their operation moved to a new section of the bog that is roughly eight acres in size.

The ICLVR is co-funded by the British and Irish governments.

Benn said they are "absolutely committed" to its work continuing, for as long as it takes.

"I don't think the search will ever give up," Benn said.

"How could one give up? I know that the ICLVR are as committed today as when they started work to helping those families to find their loved ones."

Who were the Disappeared?

The Disappeared were people abducted and murdered by republican paramilitaries, and then buried at secret locations.

The remains of four of the 17 have yet to be found.

As well as Mr McVeigh, the ICLVR is still working on the cases of Joe Lynskey, Capt Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire.