An extensive air and sea search for two men missing from a French fishing vessel that sank in the English Channel has been called off. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed it was ending the search for the men from the trawler, The Maranello.
The crew of The Maranello issued a distress call at 18:00 BST on Saturday, initiating an operation in an area south-west of the Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth. The MCA stated that the decision to conclude the search was based on available information and the known limits of human survivability in the water temperature.
The French naval prefecture for the Atlantic reported that The Maranello had contacted another trawler, the Stradale, about a problem with its fishing gear. The Stradale managed to rescue three of the five crew members before the vessel sank. One rescued sailor was treated in hospital in Truro, Cornwall, while the other two received medical attention in Plymouth before all three travelled back to France.
HM Coastguard, a rescue helicopter, a fixed-wing plane, RNLI lifeboats from Falmouth, Newlyn, Plymouth, and Salcombe, and numerous civilian vessels were involved in the search operation.