THE funeral of the 10th victim of the Clutha pub helicopter tragedy is taking place today.

Hundreds of mour-ners are expected to gather to pay respects to Joe Cusker at South Lanarkshire Cremator-ium this afternoon.

Mr Cusker, 59, originally from Ruther-glen and who then lived in Cambuslang, died last Thursday in Glas-gow Royal Infirmary.

He had been receiving treatment in the hosp-ital's intensive care unit since the tragedy on November 29.

In a statement the grandfather's heart-broken relatives, said: "When the accident happened, our family thought we were one of the lucky ones.

"Losing Joe 13 days later has left a huge gap in our lives which, at this moment, we can't imagine beginning to fill.

"We are now left with the task of making sure his grandchildren grow up knowing who their 'Papa Joe' was, even if some are too young to remember him."

They added that Joe was a Glaswegian at heart, saying: "He would have been proud at the courage and generosity the people of Glasgow have shown."

Previously, collea-gues, neighbours and friends of Mr Cusker spoke of a "dedicated, clever, kind man" who had volunteered with the local housing association for 10 years.

The crash occurred when PC Kirsty Nelis and colleague PC Tony Collins, 43, were returning from a police operation. They died alongside pilot David Traill, 51, and six other people inside the pub.

Mr Cusker's family said they were grateful for the "care, compass-ion and support" at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, adding: "The family would like to thank the emergency services, who gave Joe a fighting chance by removing him from the Clutha at risk to their own safety."

rebecca.gray@ eveningtimes.co.uk