Kayaker dies of 'heart attack'

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A kayaker has died of a suspected heart attack a mile out to sea, the coastguard has said.

The man, believed to be in his 50s, became ill a mile off Abereddi Bay near St David's in Pembrokeshire just before 2100 BST on Thursday.

He was thought to be from the local area and part of a group of eight or nine others who brought him ashore.

Emergency services were alerted by his rescuers but despite all efforts he was declared dead at the scene.

Two local lifeboats, an ambulance crew and a Sea King helicopter all responded the alarm and found the man unconscious at the scene.

'Pre-existing condition'

Milford Haven Coastguard believes the dead man, an experienced member of a local kayaking club, had a pre-existing medical condition and this may have led to his death.

A spokesman said they received a mayday call reporting a man appeared to be suffering from a heart attack.

Various crews were deployed to the scene, he said.

Other kayakers in the group brought the man to shore and began resuscitation attempts but the man "did not recover despite the efforts of all the units on scene."

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time," he added.

None of the other kayakers were injured during the incident and were also said to be part of the local kayaking club.

The coastguard emphasised that all of those involved in the incident were very well-equipped and that the incident had nothing to do with adverse weather or dangerous sea conditions.