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Police are continuing their search of the Brisbane River for the body of an Irish traveller who fell from a boat on Saturday night.

It is thought the 23-year-old man, known only as Shane, was kissing a 26-year-old woman when the pair fell from the deck of the cruise boat.

The crew of the Lady Brisbane managed to rescue the woman, but the man was not found and police believe he cannot swim.

Water police and helicopters searched the river yesterday (Sunday) while police and friends scoured the river banks but there was no sign of him.

Jim Kelly from Brisbane Cruises says they alerted authorities immediately and conducted an extensive search.

“We’ve been operating for 22 years and this has never happened to us before,” he said.

We spent the next few hours and endless help of other vessels and water police, pedestrians and a helicopter to scour the area.

“It was just near the end of the flood tide – we marked the location with a life buoy as well.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t find any evidence of the male person.”

The couple was part of a large group of Irish tourists celebrating a birthday.

“Sahne” had been living in St Lucia for 18 months and had not known the girl he was kissing before Saturday.

She had been sitting precariously on a window ledge when she toppled backwards, taking him with her.

The boat crew have insisted neither was drunk before the fall.

Australian authorities contacted the Irish Consulate yesterday which informed the man’s family.

His parents are understood to be arriving in Brisbane within the next 24 hours.