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Phil Davies

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Phil Davies

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Seaford rescue: Search resumes for two missing fishermen after boat sinks off East Sussex coast

Written by on 22/11/2020

The search for two people who are missing after a fishing boat sank off the coast of East Sussex resumed on Sunday morning.

Two RNLI lifeboats and a helicopter were sent out on Saturday after the Joanna C sent out a distress signal at around 6am.

One man was found clinging to a lifebuoy and was pulled from the water.

Authorities continued the search for the other two crew members until it was called off at around 11pm.

The Joanna C is a 45ft scalloping vessel registered in Brixham. Its last known location was three nautical miles off the coast of Seaford, near Newhaven.

Chris Thomas, deputy director of HM Coastguard, said: “HM Coastguard’s National Maritime Operations Centre has coordinated a major rescue effort [on Saturday], with many units searching tirelessly since first light and finding one casualty who has been recovered safely to hospital.

“Sadly, two other crewmen have not yet been found and all our thoughts are with their families and friends.

“It is testament to the local maritime community that HM Coastguard were so admirably supported throughout the day by nearby vessels and the local fishing communities who joined us in force and made strenuous efforts to locate their colleagues during the search.

“At one point, Coastguard coordinators described tracking 14 vessels covering the search plan area including the two RNLI all weather lifeboats at sea.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Seaford rescue: Search resumes for two missing fishermen after boat sinks off East Sussex coast