Storm Dennis: Man dies after falling from ship off Kent coast
15 February 2020, 12:02
A man's body has been recovered after he fell overboard from a boat off the coast of Kent near Margate.
A Royal Navy ship had been called in to assist in the search and rescue operation.
The man was reported overboard at 5.41am this morning. RNLI lifeboats, a police boat and the coastguard helicopter had worked alongside the Navy ship in an effort to search the area and find the man.
A coastguard spokesman said later: "At around 1pm, after many hours of searching, a body was sadly found in the water by the RNLI Margate lifeboat and has been brought to shore."
@Kent_999s Coastguard, RNLI and Royal Navy all searching for a man overboard north of Margate. pic.twitter.com/BN7bH28pKn
— Simon (@twitcherspotter) February 15, 2020
Lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter had scoured the sea near Margate Harbour.
Sixty-gun frigate HMS Winchester responded to a relay call to join the search.
The urgent search operation comes as communities across the UK brace for the arrival of Storm Dennis on Sunday - just one week after Storm Ciara battered the nation.
A distress call was received by the coastguard at 5.41am this morning and an extensive search of the area commenced.
The distress call is believed to have come from B Gas Margrethe, a 99-metre Maltese tanker that had been anchored off the coast of Margate.
