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Huge search continues for missing crew after fishing boat sinks

Coastguard and RNLI crews searching for the missing people aboard the Joanna C fishing boat
Crews rose at first light this morning to resume the search for the two missing crew aboard the Joanna C fishing boat (Picture: Rex/PA)

A desperate search for two missing fishermen has entered its second day after their boat sank off the East Sussex coast.

The coastguard pulled one man from the water after the vessel, Joanna C, sent out an emergency distress beacon at around 6am yesterday.

He was found clinging to a lifebuoy and was rushed to hospital. Rescue teams trawled the water until 11pm last night before calling off the search. They resumed their mission at first light this morning.

The Joanna C is a 45ft scalloping boat registered in Brixham, Devon. Three people were aboard the vessel when it sank, the Coastguard said.

The RNLI severn class Lifeboat head to Newhaven harbour after searching for the missing two fishermen that went missing near Seaford, Sussex, when their fishing boat, Joanna C, sank off the coast near Seaford, East Sussex on Saturday. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday November 21, 2020. See PA story RESCUE Seaford. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
The RNLI Lifeboat heads to Newhaven harbour after searching for the missing two fishermen (Picture: PA)
Boats continues their search for the missing two fishermen that went missing near Seaford, Sussex, after their fishing boat, Joanna C, sank off the coast near Seaford, East Sussex on Saturday. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday November 21, 2020. See PA story RESCUE Seaford. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
The Coastguard praised fellow fishing boats and vessels for their ‘admirable support’ in the search operation (Picture: PA)

It is not yet known what caused the boat to sink but crew members have previously reported clashing with other boats over the precious seafood.

HM Coastguard deputy director, Chris Thomas, thanked nearby vessels and members of the local fishing community for providing ‘admirable support’.

Mr Thomas 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.

Missing fishing trawler off newhaven \\ Newhaven coastguard at seaford https://fishingnews.co.uk/features/brixham-scalloper-joanna-c-transformed-after-major-refit/ BARRY KEEVINS HAS WORDS 07515 382 675
Rescue crews resumed their search for the two missing people at first light today (Picture: Eddie Mitchell)
FILE PHOTO from 29/08/2018 of Joanna C at the Brixham Harbour, Devon. See SWNS story NNscallop; One man has been recovered from the water by the Newhaven RNLI lifeboat, found clinging to a lifebuoy. He has been transferred to hospital. The search continues for the two missing crew members after the fishing vessel JOANNA C sank this morning off Newhaven. The search began at 6am on Saturday morning, when HM Coastguard received an EPIRB alert located three nautical miles off the coast at Seaford near Newhaven, from the EPIRB (emergency beacon) from the vessel. HM Coastguard immediately sent the Coastguard rescue helicopter from Lydd, supported by the Coastguard rescue helicopter based at Lee On Solent and RNLI all weather lifeboats from both Newhaven and Eastbourne. Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Team has been sent to check for sightings from the shore. The fishing vessel JOANNA C is a 45 foot scalloping vessel, registered in Brixham and three people were on board at the time of the sinking.
The Joanna C at the Brixham Harbour, Devon, pictured in 2018 (Picture: SWNS)

‘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.’

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