Dramatic footage shows Royal Navy rescue family of British sailor who drowned

A British man has drowned after being trapped inside a capsized boat in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico.

At the same time, the Royal Navy was able rescue a mother and two 12-year-old children – believed to be the dead man’s family – from the same vessel as it was lashed by 20-foot high seas and 100-knot winds.

Dramatic footage of the daring rescue – which involved the Royal Navy, US Coast Guard, and the Customs and Border Protection – has been released.

The tragic incident took place off the storm-ravaged Puerto Rican island of Vieques, which was caught in the deadly storms of ‘Hurricane Maria‘.

Most popular on Yahoo News UK:

Mum travels to Spain on 15-year-old daughter’s passport
Couple face jail for having sex at Domino’s pizza counter
Theresa May to hand billions to EU
World’s richest woman dies
Brother and sister named legal parents of baby girl
Shameless driver admits to parking in ‘parent and child’ supermarket spaces

The US Coast Guard responded after receiving a distress call on Wednesday morning.

The dramatic rescue ((Petty officer 2nd Class Ashley/US Coast Guard)

The group are thought to have spent a terrifying 24 hours on board a stricken 146-ft former oceanographic research vessel called the Ferrel.

The call indicated that there were two adults and two children on board but rescuers could not act until Thursday because of the 150-mph winds of Maria.

Footage shows a a woman and two 12-year-old children being lifted to safety while standing on the upturned vessel.

The Coast Guard in Miami said in a statement that a British Royal Navy helicopter hoisted three people Thursday from the capsized vessel.

The dead man’s body has not been found.

Authorities had been in touch with the family before the boat capsized.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral Peter Brown said: ‘We initially got the call – a vessel in distress, a family of four, north of St. Croix, literally in the teeth of a hurricane.

‘We were obviously concerned. We didn’t ask their names and didn’t ask why they were out there.’

According to the Sun newspaper, he added: ‘There was obvious joy in the command centre when the aircraft spotted them and the helicopter hoisted them to safety.

‘We are happy were able to rescue three and sad we weren’t able to rescue the fourth.’

Hurricane Maria, a category 3 storm, is roaring through the Caribbean and is now bearing down on the Turks and Caicos Islands.

At least two people have been killed in Puerto Rico and the death toll so far across the region to 32, reported to Reuters.