Sailors feared dead after ship disappears

A fishing boat with two Dutch people on board has been missing since Wednesday afternoon. The Z-85 Morgenster disappeared from the radar in the English Channel, 20 miles off the coast of Dover, England. Peter Verburg of the Dutch Coastguard "fears the worst". The search for the ship and the crew, which also includes a Belgian and a Portuguese, continued until 04:00 a.m. this morning and will resume at day break. All contact was lost wiht the crew at around 16:00 yesterday afternoon. The ship also disappeared from the AIS, a system that follows the movements of ships. Distressed fellow fishermen contacted the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center in Oostende, which initiated the search. Two lifeboats, a police vessel, a French helicopter and two British helicopters are participating in the search. Several other fishing boats have also joined the search. That group is supplemented from Bouogne, where a number of boats are underway to help. The coastguard of Dover is coordinating the search. The conditions in the Channel are bad. The sea is rough and there is a strong wind. It is unclear how long the search will continue.