Man in his 30s dies and two people are rescued after fishing boat sinks a mile off the Lancashire coast
- The vessel got into trouble about a mile from the coast of Fleetwood, police said
- The man went down with the boat and his body was later found by the RNLI
- Two survivors – men aged 70 and 71 – were rushed to hospital as a precaution
A man in his 30s has died and two others were rescued from the water after a boat sunk off the coast of Lancashire.
A vessel – thought to be a decommissioned fishing boat – got into trouble about a mile from the coast of Fleetwood.
The man went down with the boat and his body was later found by the RNLI.
The RNLI are currently facing demands to bring back lifeguards to operate alongside its sea rescue services.
Some lifeguards have started patrolling for free but without the RNLI’s backing they don’t have access to official lifesaving equipment.
This has prompted outrage among sunseekers who continue to flock to coastal regions during lockdown.
The RNLI today dispatched two lifeboats, the Shannon class 13-07 and the in-shore D class.
Two men – aged 70 and 71 – were picked up by support vessel Eden Rose from the local wind farm.
A man in his 30s has died and two others were rescued from the water after a boat sunk off the coast of Fleetwood, Lancashire (stock image pictured)
The men were taken back to shore by the Shannon class vessel before being rushed to hospital as a precaution after suffering from shock and the effects of the cold water.
The Shannon class vessel then returned to look for the missing man along with the Coastguard helicopter.
A statement from Lancashire Police said: ‘A man has died after a boat sunk off the coast of Fleetwood.
‘Emergency services were called at shortly before 8am today (Sunday, May 31) after the vessel, believed to be a decommissioned fishing vessel, got into difficulty about a mile off the coast.
‘Two people were rescued from the water but sadly a third man went down with the boat.
The coastguard dispatched two lifeboats, the Shannon class 13-07 and the in-shore D class (stock image pictured)
‘His body was later recovered from the water by the RNLI.
‘While he has not been formally identified the deceased is believed to be a man in his 30s from Blackburn. His next of kin are being informed and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
‘The death is not being treated as suspicious and the matter will be referred to HM Coroner.
‘The two survivors, a man aged 71 from Accrington and a man aged 70 from the Blackburn area, were taken by ambulance to hospital as a precaution suffering from shock and the effects of the cold water.’