Helicopter rescues pair after yacht catches fire miles off Selsey coast

Two people have been rescued after the yacht they were sailing caught fire this afternoon.

By Joe Stack

Published 4th Jun 2019, 15:32 BST

Updated 4th Jun 2019, 16:32 BST

A life boat crew from Selsey RNLI is still at the scene after being called to reports of a yacht on fire about six miles out. Two people were on board.

A spokesman for Selsey RNLI said: "We launched at 1.16pm and we were on the scene by 1.45pm."

Crews from Selsey RNLI had spotted 'quite a bit of smoke' on the horizon when the call came in.

The spokesman added: "When they got there the people on the yacht had moved into a dinghy and the lifeboat picked them up."

The pair were then picked up by a helicopter, but it is not yet clear where they were taken.

More information to follow.

Selsey