At least two dead as French trawler sinks

A trawler with three crew members aboard sank early today in the English Channel, killing at least two people, French maritime authorities said.

The third crew member was missing, a statement said.

The 39-foot trawler, Gwel Vo, sent out a distress signal at 4.22am local time (3.22am Irish time) nine miles north-west of Cap d’Antifer, off the coast of the town of Etretat.

By 6am local time (5am Irish time), a Navy helicopter had located the bodies of two crew members, but a search for the vessel continued.

It was not immediately known what might have caused the boat, built in 1977 and registered in nearby Le Havre, to founder.