THE family of a North-East man who survived the Bahrain boat tragedy have rushed out to the Gulf to be by his side.

Contractor David Roote, from Darlington, is one of a handful of British people rescued after a pleasure boat capsized while they were celebrating the completion of part of a huge construction project.

Yesterday as Mr Roote's younger son, Jon, and his girlfriend, Emma Peart, both from Darlington, flew out to the Gulf, the authorities in Bahrain revealed that the Arab dhow was not licensed for cruises.

At least 58 people died in the accident on Thursday, 15 of them British, including three with dual nationality.

Among the victims was 53-year-old industrial surveyor Christopher Langan, whose family are thought to be from the Newcastle area. His 20-year-old son is also travelling out to Bahrain.

Mr Langan worked for company Bureau Veritas. Last night, one of his colleagues said he was "one of the most jovial guys in the office, a very good worker and a very good colleague".

In Darlington, Mr Roote's other son, Andrew, who shares a flat off North Road with his father and works for Darlington Borough Council, said Mr Roote felt lucky to be alive.

He said: "My dad rang me as soon as he could to let me know he was safe. He is naturally very shaken up, but considers himself very lucky to be alive.

"It is obviously a very traumatic experience to go through and he is still coming to terms with it. We are just pleased he is safe as it could have been so different."

Neighbours described Mr Roote, who is in his late 50s and divorced, as a well-liked man who travelled a lot for work. One said: "When I learned of the accident, I immediately thought of him. It's a relief to know he is okay."

Mr Roote's son Jon, who works for Magnet in Darlington and Ms Peart had been due to visit him in Bahrain, but had flown out early after hearing of the tragedy.

Mr Roote and Mr Langan were part of a group of about 130 involved in the Bahrain World Trade Centre towers project who had gathered on the boat.

It has emerged that the dhow only had permission to act as a floating restaurant and should never have set sail. An application for the correct licence was still being processed. The dhow's captain was also not licensed to take charge of the boat and he was last night being questioned by the authorities.

A prosecutor investigating the tragedy said the survivors may want to sue.

Osama Al-Ofee said many of the survivors that had been interviewed said the boat was not stable as it left the harbour and the captain had made too tight a turn.

Mr Roote is a land surveyor and leveller who had formerly worked for Cleveland Bridge on the Wembley Stadium project. He has more than 35 years' experience in the construction and engineering industry.

In 2004, he was among workers who were sacked after Dutch company Hollandia took over the construction contract from Darlington-based Cleveland Bridge.

It is not know how long he had been working out in Bahrain.

The Foreign Office said it has dispatched a rapid response team to help the survivors cope with the tragedy.

Reliving horror - Page 3