A 71-year-old man has died after a dinghy capsized off Thorpe Bay coast in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

Two men were rescued from the water by lifeboat crew – one was sadly pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to hospital.

Southend lifeboat responded to the incident at 2.45pm yesterday afternoon, following a Coastguard report that people were in the water 300m off Thorpe Bay, thought to be from a capsized dinghy.

An RNLI spokesman said: ‘As the volunteer crew were already at the station, the D class inshore lifeboat was launched immediately and they quickly reached the first casualty.

‘The casualty told the crew that his mate was also in the water, so the crew searched and located the second person taking him straight to Thorpe Bay Yacht Club slipway, where he was given oxygen and CPR by a member of the lifeboat crew – who is also a Paramedic – assisted by a passing fire officer and then the ambulance crew.

‘Meanwhile, the lifeboat crew swiftly returned to pick up the first casualty clinging to the dinghy, bringing him ashore to be treated for hypothermia by the ambulance crew and then transferred to hospital.’

An Essex Police spokesman said police were contacted by the Coastguard shortly after 3pm with a request for assistance.

He said: ‘Officers attended and found two men had been rescued by the Coastguard after a dinghy had capsized off Thorpe Bay coast.

‘One man, aged 71, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

‘Another man was taken to Southend University Hospital with suspected minor injuries.

‘There were no suspicious circumstances.’

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