British sailor lost at sea as heavy storms hit western France

A British sailor was lost at sea after his yacht was found wrecked off the southwest French coast amid heavy storms over the weekend, French maritime authorities said.

The search for the 73-year-old came as Storm Herminia battered western France. France's national weather agency on Monday placed the Ile-et-Vilaine department, in western France, on red alert due to the risks of major floods.

The distress beacon of the yacht was detected around 80 km (50 miles) west of Lacanau on Saturday afternoon, and a helicopter dispatched to the scene found the sailboat, the Prefet Maritime de l'Atlantique said in a statement late on Sunday.

The helicopter winched its two divers on board, who discovered an empty life raft.

A cargo vessel and the Spanish hospital ship Esperanza del Mar were also mobilised to search for the man.

After several hours of searching and due to a lack of any new information, the search was suspended in the early hours of Sunday.