Seaman dies after falling overboard during Hartlepool ship transfer

The Hartlepool lifeboat was launched to help rescue the man

A seaman has died after falling in the North Sea while moving between ships.

He was a member of crew of a ship registered overseas and fell whilst "moving between vessels" off the coast of Hartlepool shortly after 14:00 BST on Monday, Cleveland Police said.

His colleagues pulled him from the water and he was brought ashore with the aid of the RNLI for treatment, but he died a short time later.

A police spokeswoman said an investigation had been launched.

The RNLI said its Hartlepool crew arrived at the scene within 10 minutes of being launched at 14:13 and escorted the transfer vessel into port.

An RNLI spokesman described the state of the sea at the time as moderate with a 10ft (3m) swell and a 12 knot, north-westerly wind.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said detectives from its homicide and major inquiry team were working "in conjunction with other specialist agencies to establish the circumstances of this incident".

A post-mortem examination will take place at a later date.

"Our thoughts remain with his family and colleagues at this difficult time," the spokeswoman added.