Two Danes died in a boating accident on Monday off the coast of the German island of Norderney, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) confirmed on Tuesday. 

 

The two Danes were on their way from Denmark to the Netherlands when they ran into bad weather. 

 

“We received an emergency call shortly before 8am on Monday from a barge that had found itself in tough weather conditions eight to ten kilometres north of Norderney. The captain said that the ship was about to sink. We sent rescue boats and two helicopters but by the time they got there, the ship had already gone done,” MRCC spokesperson Antke Reemts told TV2 News. 

 

Reemts said that the two Danes were spotted in the cold water but powerful waves kept the rescue boats from reaching them. By the time the helicopters were able to get the men out of the water, there were no signs of life.

 

The victims were not wearing life vests. 

 

The Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths to TV2 News but did not give any additional information.