The search for any survivors from a helicopter that crashed off the east coast of England carrying 11 people last night has been scaled down this afternoon.
Five people are confirmed dead and six are missing after a civilian helicopter plunged into the sea off Great Yarmouth last night.
Eleven people were on board the aircraft, two of them crew and the rest oil rig workers, rescuers say. It is not yet known why the helicopter went down.
A spokesman for RAF Kinloss, which is helping co-ordinate the rescue, said weather conditions were good.
The spokesman says five bodies have been recovered from the water.
He says six people remain missing and the search will continue with an RAF Sea King helicopter and seven boats.
The recovered bodies have been taken back to the Santa Fe Monarch rig as it is closer to the accident scene.
Great Yarmouth coastguards, co-ordinating the rescue operation, say the helicopter was taking workers from the rig when it ditched about 30 miles off Cromer around 7.50 p.m.
The spokesman for RAF Kinloss, which is home to the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre, says the craft was a Sikorsky S76 which carries around a dozen people.
PA