Unconscious man rescued from boat at Mylor in Cornwall

Coastguard rescue helicopter at base. Credit: Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team

Emergency services have rescued a man seen hanging over the side of a small boat with his head in the water.

Several people called 999 at around 11am (30 June) after they could see the engine was still running while its skipper was unconscious.

Other nearby vessels responded to the MAYDAY distress call on their radio and caught up with the small boat before pulling the engine's kill cord.

A MAYDAY signal was sent out to all the vessels in the nearby area. Credit: Bing maps

RNLI crews from Falmouth brought the man on board their lifeboat before he was transferred to hospital by the Coastguard helicopter.

Matt Rogers who was coordinating the incident at Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre said:

The Coastguard offers safety advice saying all powerboat drivers should securely attach the kill cord around their thigh before starting the engine.

On a personal watercraft the kill switch should be attached to the buoyancy aid.