Falmouth Coastguards locate missing sailor

A man who set off from Plymouth to sail singlehandedly to Portugal has been airlifted to hospital after suffering a fall onboard.

The man, 66, left Plymouth on Monday but he suffered chest injuries overnight.

A major search was launched but there was confusion over his exact location.

Falmouth coastguard said it had managed to establish his position after repeated half-hourly attempts to contact him.

The man was located 140 miles (225km) off the Isles of Scilly.

Martin Bidmead, the watch officer at Falmouth Coastguard, said: "We got no response at all initially.

"We were extremely concerned that perhaps he had slipped into unconsciousness.

"Luckily a French aircraft is now on the scene. He is injured. We're arranging a helicopter to get him back to the UK."

The man was taken by a coastguard helicopter to Cork in southern Ireland for treatment.