Fire on the high seas: when a 68-year-old skipper sets sail in the North Sea, his yacht catches fire. He can just make an emergency call, then he jumps overboard.
Bremerhaven (dpa) – With the help of a helicopter, a 68-year-old skipper was rescued from the North Sea after a fire on his motorboat.
On Friday afternoon, a helper pulled the man out of the 13 to 14 degrees cool water on board the helicopter by a helper, where he was given medical care and flown to a hospital, as the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS) announced. The ship, which was burning in the mouth of the Weser, was towed out of the fairway, but sank during the extinguishing work.
After the fire broke out, the skipper was able to make an emergency call, then he had to jump off board his nine-meter-long yacht into the mouth of the Weser. Shortly afterwards the radio connection to the man broke off. The sea rescuers left with two rescue ships. In addition, a helicopter flew to the shipwrecked man. The pilot reported that dark smoke had been seen from a distance. The water police in Wilhelmshaven are investigating.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210612-99-961882 / 2
