A body has been discovered feared to be that of a 73-year-old British sailor who went missing after his yacht was found 'eviscerated' off the French coast. The sailor activated his distress beacon on Saturday afternoon during stormy weather, prompting a search operation.
The French air force dispatched a helicopter after the beacon was triggered at 3pm local time, approximately 50 miles west of Lacanau in south-west France. Upon arrival, the crew found the 12-metre yacht, named Tiger PA, severely damaged, with an empty life raft nearby.
Two divers were lowered to the wreckage but found no sign of the sailor. A Portuguese cargo ship and a Spanish hospital ship joined French navy vessels in the search, which was called off at 1.30am on Sunday due to a lack of new information.
French authorities had been alerted by their British counterparts on Friday evening after the yacht, flying an American flag, stopped responding to radio messages. A nearby Portuguese ship managed to re-establish contact, and the sailor reported he was alone and safe.
The search area experienced gusts of up to 98mph during Storm Herminia, which hit France over the weekend. The identity of the sailor has not yet been released.
