Statement regarding fatal incident on the River Bure

At approximately 2pm on Tuesday 15 September a man was injured on the River Bure at Clink Hill, West Caister, and died of his injuries at Addenbrooke’s Hospital last night.

The man, who was aged in his 20s and from North Yorkshire, was taken to the James Paget Hospital with serious injuries. He was later transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital where, sadly, he died overnight.

The incident took place 1 mile upstream of Great Yarmouth Yacht Station on the River Bure and the vessel was later recovered to the Yacht Station.

Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, the Coastguard, RNLI and the East of England Ambulance Service attended the incident.

Broads Authority Chief Executive John Packman said of the incident,

“Everyone at the Broads Authority is extremely saddened by the tragic accident on the River Bure yesterday (15 September) and we offer our sincere condolences to the man’s family and those affected.

“Since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted the Broads waterways have been very busy with visitors. The vast majority visit without incident, however we have experienced several accidents this year which have had terribly tragic consequences for those involved.

“As with any activity on the water there are risks involved and to minimise these it is important that everyone follows safety advice for using the waterways and is especially important for those that have not used a boat before.

“The Broads Authority will continue to work closely with hire companies to get these messages across effectively when customers pick up their boats and we will review how we can further improve this to prepare people for their experience on the Broads.

We advise anyone who hires a boat on the Broads to follow safety advice here: https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/navigating-the-broads/safety”

The accident will be subject to investigation but it does appear to highlight the dangers of entering the water from a boat, especially in fast flowing tidal waters. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has been informed of the incident.

The Authority will be making no further comment until more details have been released by the Emergency Services.