Bodies of Two Fishermen Found After French Trawler Sinks in the English Channel

The bodies of the two Breton fishermen missing after the French trawler Maranello sank off the United Kingdom have been recovered, the Saint-Brieuc public prosecutor’s office said.

The Saint-Brieuc-registered vessel sank on August 29 off Plymouth after sending a distress call about problems with its fishing gear. Another trawler nearby, the Stradale, rescued three of the five crew members before the Maranello went down. The vessel’s captain and chief officer remained missing.

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The weather conditions allowed the search to resume today.

Authorities located the wreck in the middle of the week. Weather conditions allowed the search to resume, and divers carried out an initial descent to locate the site and assess whether the recovery operation was feasible. They later brought the two bodies to the surface.

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After an initial dive this morning made it possible to locate the site and assess whether the operation was feasible, divers were able to bring the bodies of the two fishermen to the surface this evening.

Alex Dehays, deputy public prosecutor in Saint-Brieuc, said the investigation, which remains under the responsibility of the Brest maritime gendarmerie research unit, had shifted to an inquiry into the causes of death.

British authorities launched a major search after the sinking, involving French fishing vessels in the area and a French navy ship. The operation ended on Monday morning before the search resumed for the recovery effort.

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The investigation, still entrusted to the Brest maritime gendarmerie research unit, is therefore shifting this evening to an inquiry into the causes of death.