A man has died and two more were missing feared dead after their boat sank in what appears to have been a collision early today (Sunday 6 August).
Two of the three are Romanian men who were living in Brighton. Another man was rescued after he spent hours in the water clinging to a buoy.
Sussex Police said: “A man has died and two others are missing after a small boat was apparently struck by a larger vessel in the English Channel off Shoreham.
“A fourth man was pulled from the sea by the crew of a professional fishing boat.
“The five-metre boat left Shoreham Harbour shortly after midnight for a pleasure fishing trip and according to the 45-year-old survivor was struck and sunk around 2am.
“He was rescued just before 6am after clinging to a buoy for some hours and was picked up by Shoreham Lifeboat.
“He was taken to hospital where he remained on Sunday evening under observation but in a stable condition.
“The four men, two of whom related, are all Romanian nationals. Two are from Brighton and two, including the survivor, are from London.
“Their immediate next of kin have all been informed.”
Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Carr said: “Sussex Police are undertaking a joint investigation with the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch.
“We are now trying to establish the circumstances and to identify the other vessel involved.
“An earlier appeal for information prompted a significant number of calls and I would like to thank people for their prompt responses which enabled us to quickly identify who had been involved.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who have been involved in this tragic incident.”
