Body found after dinghy off Whitstable capsized

A body found after a dinghy capsized in the sea has sparked a police investigation.

At 3.25am, officers received a report from a man that the dinghy he had been in with a friend had capsized off Whitstable seafront, Kent.

His friend, a man in his 40s, was missing and feared drowned.

The body of a man was discovered in the water at 5am, according to Kent Police.

A spokesman for the force said: "The man reporting the incident, who is also in his 40s, said he had swum to shore to raise the alarm.

"He was thought to be suffering from hypothermia and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (in Margate) for treatment whilst a search, using the Coastguard and a lifeboat crew, was conducted.

"Police have launched an investigation and inquiries are ongoing.

"The men are not local to Kent."

PA