A man died this morning shortly after a yacht crashed into his small boat off Tigne at about 10 a.m.

The man was thrown overboard with the impact and was rescued by an AFM launch after a nearby boat issued a distress call. He was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital, where efforts to save his life proved futile.

The police said the man was an 81-year-old from Sliema.

The AFM in a statement in the afternoon said the man had suffered a heart attack. His boat sank as a result of the collision with the yacht. It has been located by AFM divers.

An inquiry is under way.

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