A MAN has died following a late night rescue operation in the sea by Bournemouth Pier.

Emergency services were called at around 11.20pm on Monday after reports of concern for the welfare of a man, aged in his 60s, in the water at East Cliff.

Officers from Bournemouth Central Neighbourhood Police Team headed to the seafront and the NPAS police helicopter was launched to assist with the search.

The Coastguard attended and could be seen using a bright light to scour the water, alongside both vessels from the RNLI’s Poole Lifeboat Station.

Many residents reported hearing the helicopters overheard as they looked for the man in the sea.

A post on the Southbourne Coastguard Twitter page reported that a man had got into difficulty in the water. He was located by lifeboat crew members before being airlifted to hospital by the coastguard. 

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “He was taken to Poole Hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead.

“His next of kin have been informed and the coroner has been notified. The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”

A police car could be seen parked by the cafes and shops by Pier Approach yesterday morning and there was police tape across the gates to Bournemouth Pier. 

The end of Bournemouth Pier was also taped off, which including the tower for the Pier Zip line, which a Rock Reef spokesperson confirmed was not involved in the incident.

According to Bournemouth council’s website, the gates to Bournemouth Pier are opened to the public during the summer at 9am and closed at 11pm.

Speaking at the scene, a man from Key West restaurant, which is based on the pier, said: “When we arrived here at about 7.50am, we asked the police what had happened and they said there had been an incident. He said that they would need to look at the CCTV before they would let us onto the pier. It’s sad.” 

Another man said that he had worked on the pier for 10 years and could not recall any similar incidents of this nature.

Hichem Himana, 45, from Bournemouth Triangle, who wanted to visit the pier with his father and daughter, said: “I’ve been living here for four or five years and I’d never heard of something happening by the pier.”

The cordon was lifted by 9am.

Bournemouth Echo: RNLI and Coastguard Helicopt Rescue in Bournemouth Bay tonight

Picture from Mark Pelleymounter