Hopes are fading for the crew of a fishing boat who went missing off the coast of Jersey in the early hours of this morning.
A major search has been under way throughout the day after a trawler collided with a cargo ship and sent three people overboard.
Specialist divers have been involved in a search and rescue operation but it has been suspended for the night.
Efforts will resume in the morning around the area where the L’Ecume II disappeared in 40-metre deep water.
One of the missing men has been named locally as Michael Michieli, the skipper of the Jersey-registered vessel.
It struck the Commodore Goodwill, a 120m freight carrier with a tonnage of 11,166, at around 5.30am this morning.
Local fishing vessels have volunteered to help with the search, while drones and beach lifeguards on jet skis have also been deployed.
Freight driver Richard Henry, who was onboard the Commodore Goodwill at the time, told ITV: ‘We heard five long blasts on the horn and then a big bang. Then an announcement from the captain, “this is not a drill, this is not a drill, man overboard, all crew to action stations”.
‘Then I went outside and had a look, and could just see the tail end of, I think it was a 66ft French trawler, but we just see the tail end of that just disappearing out of sight.
‘Then had a word with the crew and he said “yeah, there’s one man definitely still being looked for”. They’re not sure about the other two because there was three people on the boat at the time.’
Announcing suspension of the search overnight, Jersey Coastguard said those involved will ‘regroup before first light’ on Friday to ‘consider the findings’ of an underwater drone sent into the area.
Commercial shipping has been rerouted in order not to disturb the search.
French aircrafts, boats and search teams are also involved in the search effort.
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