Fisherman who died in fall from vessel off Stonehaven named locally as Lossiemouth man
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INQUIRIES are under way into the death of a fisherman from Moray who died after falling from a boat in the North Sea.
The man fell into freezing water four miles east of Stonehaven in the early hours yesterday.
He has been named locally as 45-year-old John McTaggart, a dad and grandad from Lossiemouth.
The crew of the fishing boat, the Inverness-registered Acorn, alerted the Coastguard at around 1.54am on Tuesday after Mr McTaggart fell overboard.
A major search was launched involving Aberdeen and Stonehaven lifeboats and a Coastguard helicopter from Inverness.
Nearby commercial vessels also responded to mayday broadcasts to help in the emergency search.
Mr McTaggart was pronounced dead when he was eventually pulled from the water.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 3.15am on Tuesday, September 29, police were called to a report of a man having fallen into the sea from a fishing vessel near Stonehaven.
"Emergency services attended and a 45-year-old man was recovered from the sea and pronounced dead.
"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal."
The Marine Accident Investigations Branch confirmed it was also investigating the tragic circumstances.
