Tragedy hits powerboat championships

A MAN died yesterday after an accident at the European and British National Powerboat Championships.

The accident at the Harwich powerboat festival happened when the boat the victim was in "flipped over". A second man in the boat suffered a head injury and was taken to hospital in Colchester. It is thought that the boat struck a wave before it overturned.

A spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service said the man who died was thought to be around 60 years old and suffered a head injury.

"He went into cardiac arrest and sadly was confirmed deceased on the scene," she added.

Officers from the Essex Police marine unit are investigating the incident.

A spokeswoman for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which examines and investigates marine accidents, said: "We are aware of the incident at Harwich but at the moment we have no plans to send any inspectors to the scene."

The Royal Yachting Association announced in February that it had successfully applied to the UIM International Offshore Commission to host the 2010 round of the Class 3C Continental Championships in Harwich. The powerboat championships started on Friday and are due to end today.

Last night a spokeswoman for the event declined to make any comment about the incident or whether the championships would continue.