An experienced swimmer died just a few hundred yards from completing his journey to cross the English Channel.
Father-of-two Nick Thomas, 45, set off from Dover, Kent on Saturday morning and was attempting to cross to France for the second time in his life. However, he fell unwell 16 hours into the swim and lost consciousness at less than a mile off the French coast. He suffered from acute cardio-respiratory collapse and could not be resuscitated. He later died at a hospital in Calais.
A total of eight people had died attemptng to swim across the Channel. Susan Taylor, 34, was swimming the 21 miles to raise money for charity when she fell ill and died a mile from the French coast in July 2013.