Two dead, three missing as trawler capsizes

The bodies of two fisherman were recovered after a French vessel capsized and sank off the British coast today.

They were brought ashore by a Royal Navy rescue helicopter which is now back at the scene of the incident, 14 miles south west of Lizard Point, Cornwall.

A major air and sea search was launched at 12.40pm after another fishing vessel reported seeing the unnamed French craft go down.

Falmouth coastguards, co-ordinating the operation, later received a distress alert from an emergency positioning beacon.

A rescue helicopter from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, Cornwall, was on scene by 1.20pm.

A spokesman said the crew spotted an empty liferaft and recovered two bodies from the water.

The bodies were flown to hospital by the aircraft, which refuelled and resumed the search for three other crew members.

The Culdrose spokesman said swells of up to 25ft high were reported and winds gusting to 48 knots.

An RAF rescue helicopter was also sent to the scene, as well as the Lizard and Penlee lifeboats, and the Coastguard emergency towing vessel Anglian Princess.

Other merchant and Royal Navy vessels, as well as two fishing craft, were on their way to the scene.