Hunt called off for missing firefighter Iain Hughes, who vanished while swimming the English Channel for charity
The search for a firefighter who went missing while trying to swim across the English Channel has been called off.
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Iain Hughes, a crew manager at Wednesbury fire station in the West Midlands, is a father of two, and a "highly respected and much-loved colleague".
Mr Hughes set off from the Kent coast on Tuesday morning with a support boat alongside, but went missing later that day in French waters.
A large search including French and Belgian military helicopters was launched to find the married father-of-two but has now been called off, French authorities confirmed.
Mr Hughes, 42, had trained for nearly two years for his cross-Channel charity swim, his employer the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said.
According to his JustGiving page, by Thursday morning he had raised more than £8,500 of a £21,000 target for the British Heart Foundation, Firefighters Charity, and Midlands Air Ambulance - representing £1,000 for each mile of his swim.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, WMFS chief fire officer Wayne Brown said: "Iain's disappearance is unspeakably sad.
"We are giving Iain's family all the support we can at this distressing time.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone close to Iain.
"He is a highly respected and much-loved colleague and friend to many."