Belgian fishing boat remains missing in the Channel

A fishing boat sailing under the Belgian flag off the coast of Kent, UK, in the English Channel was reported as missing on Wednesday evening. The boat has four people on board, one of them Belgian.

“Everything leads us to believe that the boat has sunk,” said a spokesperson for the Dutch coast guard service last night. The search for fishing boat Z-85 continued into the evening after contact with the boat was lost around Wednesday midday.

The British coast guard services have deployed two rescue boats and two helicopters to find the ship. France has also sent a helicopter to join the rescue mission and several other fishing boats in the area have joined in the search.

The captain of the ship and one crew member have Dutch nationality. The two other crew members are Belgian and Portuguese.

Conditions in the English Channel were described as "difficult".