Man dies after paddleboard rescue off Hampshire coast
- Published
A man has died after a family of paddleboarders were rescued off the south coast.
Emergency services were called to the incident near the New Forest village of Exbury in Hampshire, on Saturday afternoon.
The 51-year-old man was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Hampshire Constabulary said.
A woman and two teenagers were saved by RNLI lifeboat crews.
A RNLI spokeswoman said: "RNLI lifeboats from Calshot and Cowes were launched following reports of a family in difficulty during a paddleboarding incident on Lepe Beach."
She added: "The volunteer crew arrived to offer assistance to two teenagers and a lady. A fourth casualty was being airlifted to hospital when the lifeboat arrived."
A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: "We were called to a report that a man was unconscious in the sea at Lepe Beach, Exbury.
"The 51-year-old man was transported to Southampton General Hospital but despite the best efforts of emergency services was pronounced dead.
"Enquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the man's death."
Follow BBC South on Facebook, external, Twitter, external, or Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external.