British man missing, feared dead after fall from Dutch party boat

A man from Newcastle in England is feared drowned after he fell from a party boat on the Noordzee canal just outside Amsterdam around 00:30 a.m. on Sunday. Emergency services searched the canal for hours, but eventually had to halt the search without success, local safety office Veiligheidsregio Zaanstreek-Waterland said on Twitter.

The man went overboard near Westzaan. The captain of the ship threw a life jacket to him, but the man disappeared under water, according to newspaper AD.

According to Noordhollands Dagblad, the captain marked the location in the ship's GPS system and emergency services were called in to search for the man. Boats from the fire department and the port of Amsterdam were deployed, as well as divers and two helicopters. The police, ambulances and paramedics were also at the scene.

After several hours of searching, the search was called off. The man was not found.

The man, whose identity was not released, formed part of a group from Newcastle, the police said on Sunday. According to Newcastle newspaper the Evening Chronicle, the British Foreign Office has not yet been informed about the man's disappearance.