The bodies of two French fishermen have been recovered from the English Channel after their boat, The Maranello, sank off the coast of Plymouth on Saturday 29 August. The five-man crew had radioed another trawler, The Stradale, to report a problem with their fishing gear shortly before the vessel went down, triggering a major cross-Channel search and rescue effort. The recovery brings a resolution to the search, though the cause of the sinking remains under investigation.

The Stradale managed to rescue three crew members before the boat sank, with survivors treated at hospitals in Truro and Plymouth before returning to France. An extensive search involving 15 vessels, coastguard helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft was mounted near Eddystone Lighthouse, but the two missing fishermen were not found until French prosecutors confirmed on Saturday that divers had located and recovered their bodies off the English coast. A French deputy prosecutor said the investigation, led by maritime gendarmerie in Brest, is now focused on determining the causes of death.