Man dies after lifeboat rescue off the coast of Essex as Met Office warns of “high winds”

A WINDSURFER has died after he was pulled from the water today as 50mph winds struck the Essex coast.

The West Mersea lifeboat was launched just before noon after a 999 emergency call about concerns for a man in the water out in the estuary.

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The victim, believed to be from Colchester and in his 60's, was pulled from the sea and flown by air ambulance to Colchester Hospital six miles away but was dead by the time he arrived.

A spokeswoman for Essex police said: "The man is believed to have been windsurfing. Next of kin have been contacted and police enquiries are continuing to establish the events leading up to his death."

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Better known as a yachting centre, Mersea Island has in recent years become a mecca for wind and kitesurfers as the Blackwater estuary widens out into the North Sea.

The Met Office issued a yellow "high winds" alert for the East Anglian coast today warning that winds could gust at more than 50 miles an hour.

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