A SAILOR was crushed to death today by a yacht off the Kent coast.

The victim, believed to be in his 50s and from Inverness, was pulled from a sandbar 14 miles north of North Foreland by a Sea King helicopter from RAF Wattisham in Norfolk.

He was flown to Margate’s Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital but pronounced dead by doctors soon after arrival at the hospital at 6.06am.

The man had suffered multiple injuries to his lower abdomen and pelvis.

The 25ft yacht, the Siesta, and its two remaining crew were taken to Harwich, Essex by the Walton-on-the-Naze Lifeboat.

The survivors are believed to be the man's son and a Norwegian.

The men were delivering the yacht from Spain to Ipswich when they got into difficulty.

Detective Inspector Nick Greenan, from Margate Police Station, said it appears to have been a tragic accident that happened while the crew were trying to free the vessel after running aground.

"At this point in time the incident does not appear to be suspicious," said Insp Greenan, "however Kent Police is working with the Marine Investigation Board, the Maritime Coastguard Agency and Essex Police’s Marine Unit to determine the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

"The survivors are being spoken to and a post mortem will be conducted in due course.

The vessel has been taken to Harwich and is under police guard."

The dead man has not yet been formally identified and next of kin have not been notified.