Man dies after narrowboat sinks

A narrowboat that sank as it went through a canal lock has left one man dead.

The incident happened at Lock 5 on the Droitwich Junction Canal, off the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

The alarm was raised shortly after 11.20am this morning, with emergency services attempting to save a resuscitate the man.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said:

“The lock was drained and firefighters went on board the narrowboat. They brought the man out and advanced life support was carried out by ambulance staff, but sadly it was not possible to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.

“An elderly woman who had managed to get off the narrow boat was assessed by ambulance staff but was found to be uninjured and was left with police officers.”