Man dies after falling into water from Belfast to Birkenhead ferry

A man from North Wales has died after falling overboard whilst travelling on a Stena Line ferry.

The man, who had been travelling from Belfast to Birkenhead on Saturday (January 20), was airlifted from the Irish Sea and taken to hospital, but sadly passed away.

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: “We were contacted at 8.15am today, Saturday 20th January, following reports the 44-year-old man, who is from the North Wales area, was missing from a ferry travelling between Belfast and Birkenhead.

“HM Coastguard and RNLI lifeboats were dispatched to carry out a search and at around 11.20am a man was airlifted from the water by the HM Coastguard helicopter, transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital. The man has since sadly passed away."

Merseyside Police said the man’s next of kin have been informed and the incident is not being treated as suspicious. A file has been prepared for the coroner.